IAEA to assess more than 10 critical substations during Dec 1–12 visit to Ukraine – Grossi
A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will assess the condition of more than ten critically important electrical substations essential for nuclear safety and protection during its visit to Ukraine from December 1 to 12, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced.
"The 1-12 December visit will focus on more than ten substations – essential nodes in the electrical grid related to the nuclear power plants (NPPs) – to assess the damage, review repair efforts, and identify practical steps to strengthen the resilience of off-site power supplies to the country's NPPs, three of which are still operating to generate electricity," the IAEA said in a statement on its website Friday, citing Grossi.
Previous IAEA missions to the substations have highlighted a continued degradation of the grid and increased challenges to the transmission infrastructure.
Last week, another IAEA team completed a comprehensive safety assessment of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at the Chornobyl site, which was severely damaged in a drone strike in February. The mission confirmed that the NSC had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability, but also found that there was no permanent damage to its load-bearing structures or monitoring systems.
Based on the mission findings, the IAEA recommends further restoration and protective work of the NSC structure, including humidity control measures and an updated corrosion monitoring programme, as well as an upgrade of an integrated automatic monitoring system for the shelter object structure built on top of the reactor immediately after the Chornobyl accident in 1986.
"In 2026, with support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Chornobyl site will undertake additional temporary repairs to support the re-establishment of the NSC's confinement function, paving the way for full restoration once the conflict ends," the IAEA said.
According to the Ukrainian Energy Ministry, during a meeting of contributors to the Chernobyl International Cooperation Account, chair Phil Bennett said that the EBRD is exploring mechanisms for attracting new donors and introducing a new investment approach to support the Shelter facility (New Safe Confinement). He also announced a 20% increase in the Account's administrative budget for 2026, to EUR 960 million.