Contact has been restored between Zaporizhia NPP and the International Atomic Energy Agency – the world

The Ukrainian Atomic Energy Agency Energoatom announced Saturday evening in the Telegram messaging service that the connection between the data servers in Zaporizhia and the IAEA has been “restored”. The International Atomic Energy Agency later confirmed the information on Twitter.

Thanks to the “joint efforts” of Energoatom and mobile operator Vodafone, it was possible to restore the data transmission. Vodafone entered into a contract with the International Atomic Energy Agency for the transmission of data from Zaporizhia. Energoatom said that since the end of May, all data has been stored on secure servers and immediately sent to the International Atomic Energy Agency after connectivity is restored.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the call was restored on Sunday “after a technical outage that lasted nearly two weeks.” “Long-distance transportation does not replace the regular physical presence of IAEA inspectors at power stations to inspect nuclear materials,” said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. He wants to “continue his efforts” to send an inspection team to Zaporizhia as soon as possible.

Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant since early March, and taken control of it a few days after they began their invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, the power plant contributed about a fifth of electricity production in Ukraine.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, had already described the situation on the ground as “indefensible”. For example, important maintenance work at a nuclear power plant is constantly delayed and essential equipment is not delivered, resulting in an increased risk of accidents.

The Ukrainian government refuses to visit representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency as long as Russian forces occupy the nuclear power plant. Energoatom said last week that such a visit would only be possible after Ukraine regained control of the plant. Ukraine’s nuclear agency said the visit of IAEA experts could “legitimize the presence of the occupiers”.