The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is preparing to deploy teams on a continual basis to four other Ukrainian nuclear facilities, the Khmelnitsky, Rivne, and South Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPPs), as well as the Chornobyl site.

These missions aim to provide technical support and assistance as needed in order to help maintain a high level of nuclear safety and security and reduce the risk of a nuclear incident or accident, the agency stated.

On 16 December, significant shelling was experienced throughout Ukraine. This resulted in the Khmelnitsky and Rivne NPPs reducing power and the South Ukraine NPP disconnecting from the electrical grid. None of the nuclear power plants in Ukraine experienced a loss of off-site power.

Now, all nine reactors are operating once again at these three NPPs.

The IAEA also notes Diplomatic efforts to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are making headway.

As previously reported, Russia had declared that it would not give up control over the ZNPP in order to create a nuclear safety zone.