This was announced on January 26, by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
Yesterday at about 10 a.m. local time, eight large explosions were heard, causing the windows of the plant's offices to vibrate, and more were heard today.
Director General Grossi said that these signs of hostilities near the plant further emphasize the vital importance of agreeing on and implementing a nuclear safety as well as security zone around the site as soon as possible. He states the zone would help protect ZNPP by ensuring that it is not a target and is not used for attacks from the site.
It should be noted that this week in Brussels, the Director General also informed the EU about the establishment of permanent IAEA nuclear safety missions at other nuclear facilities in Ukraine. Last week, he personally attended the IAEA flag-raising ceremony at the South Ukrainian and Rivne NPPs, as well as at the Chornobyl site. Earlier this week, the IAEA mission also arrived at Khmelnytskyi NPP.
"The IAEA now has permanent teams deployed at all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, and at Chornobyl. They are providing technical assistance and advice, assessing the plants’ needs, and reporting about their findings to us in Vienna. Their presence marks a major milestone in our efforts to help Ukraine ensure nuclear safety and security during this tragic war," he said.
Since their arrival, the IAEA experts have toured the sites and will continue to do so. While there were allegations earlier this week that some of the facilities were storing military equipment, the teams have not observed anything inconsistent with the nuclear safety and security mechanisms that would be expected for any such nuclear facility, Director General Grossi said.