An expert mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has concluded its work in Ukraine, which ran from July 29 to August 8, 2025. IAEA experts evaluated the condition of electrical substations crucial for the safe, reliable and uninterrupted operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants. They also identified needs for additional technical assistance to enhance the energy system's resilience with regards to nuclear safety and security.
IAEA representatives reported significant progress in restoration work at facilities they had previously inspected.
Following a meeting with the mission's experts, Minister of Energy Svitlana Grynchuk emphasized that the Agency's mission was expanded this time to assess not only nuclear facilities but also the electrical substations that are critically important for the safety of the nuclear power plants.
"The safe operation of nuclear power plants depends on a reliable external power supply. Attacks on the Ukrainian power grid create direct threats to the safe operation of NPPs, which could lead to emergency situations. The systematic work of the IAEA is extremely important for objectively informing the global community about the consequences of Russian energy terror and for developing effective solutions aimed at preventing nuclear and radiation accidents," Svitlana Grynchuk stressed.
According to her, it is vital that the mission's findings form the basis of a special methodology for assessing nuclear safety and security risks under external threats.
At the same time, it should be emphasized that while the current focus is on safety in Ukraine, the mission's results are also extremely important for other regions where nuclear power plants could find themselves in a zone of military conflict. This work, therefore, makes a significant contribution to strengthening the global nuclear security system and to shaping approaches for protecting infrastructure critical to nuclear safety in the face of global threats.
The Minister thanked the mission's experts for their work during an extremely difficult period when Ukraine's energy infrastructure is under almost daily attack.
"The work of IAEA experts at substations that have been repeatedly targeted highlights the exceptional importance of these facilities for the overall nuclear safety system," Svitlana Grynchuk underlined.
It is worth recalling that the expansion of the mandate of the IAEA's observer mission in Ukraine was previously agreed upon by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
