IAEA experts denied access inside Russian-occupied ZNPP’s cooling tower – energy ministry

Russian invaders did not allow the group of monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect a cooling tower at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where a blaze was recently spotted.

This was announced by Deputy Minister of Energy Mykola Kolisnyk, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

He noted that IAEA officials were only able to visually inspect the cooling tower and run radiation monitoring.

"After the inspection, the experts asked for access directly inside the cooling tower at the level of water nozzles, where, according to their assumptions, some damage could have been inflicted But the experts never gained access there," Kolisnyk said.

The official emphasized that the IAEA is yet to draw a final conclusion regarding the circumstances of the recent fire at the cooling tower.

As reported earlier, on August 12, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on an inspection of the cooling tower damaged by fire at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, adding they were unable to determine the cause of the blaze.

In the afternoon of Sunday, August 11, the Russians, with a purpose that remains unclear, started a fire at the cooling tower on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP that has remained occupied by enemy forces since March 2022.