First staff rotation at Chernobyl plant after 3 weeks, says IAEA

Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said a staff rotation was carried out at the now-defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the first in three weeks and only the second since February 24 when Russian forces seized the facility.

In a statement on Sunday, Grossi said the shift change was important for the safe and secure operation of the plant, which was controlled by the Russian military for five weeks until they withdrew on March 31.

The previous change of staff on duty took place on March 20-21, which in turn was the first since the Russian military entered the site on February 24, the day Moscow launched its invasion of Kiev.

"While it is very positive that Ukrainian authorities are gradually restoring regulatory control of the Chernobyl site, it is clear that a lot of work remains to return the site to normality," the IAEA chief was quoted as saying in the statement.

"As soon as it is possible, I will head an IAEA mission to Chernobyl to conduct a radiological assessment there, resume remote safeguards monitoring of the facility and its nuclear material and deliver equipment, including spare parts and components, for the plant's safe and secure operation.

"I'm in close consultations with Ukraine on setting a date and organising a programme of work for the visit, which is expected to take place soon," he added.

According to Ukraine's national operator Energoatom, those taking part in Saturday's staff rotation had to be transported to and from the site by boat on the Pripyat River.

Energoatom said river transportation was currently the only way for people living in the city of Slavutych outside the site's Exclusion Zone to get to the facility, where radioactive waste management facilities are located.

Regarding damage to the site's analytical laboratories for radiation monitoring, the operator said the premises were destroyed and the analytical instruments stolen, broken or otherwise disabled.

In addition, an associated Information and Communication Centre had been looted, parts of its communication lines destroyed, and the automated transmission of radiation monitoring data disabled.

--IANS

ksk/