A reactor unit at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant has been repaired and is generating steam again, which is essential for several safety functions.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in Vienna on Wednesday.

A water leak was detected at reactor unit four in mid-August, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement.

Following the repair, all six units should now be in cold shutdown, he said.

Ukraine’s national regulator had issued regulatory orders to limit the operation of all six units to a cold shutdown state.

Grossi said in a significant development for the IAEA’s mission at the site, the IAEA had taken delivery of armoured vehicles acquired with financial support from Japan.

Funding from Germany had enabled the IAEA to hire drivers and security personnel for the rotations of staff, he said.

“These vehicles and dedicated personnel are essential for ensuring the safety of IAEA staff during rotations to and from the plant.

“They will also allow us to conduct our missions with full logistical independence,” Mr Grossi said.

A new team of experts had arrived on Tuesday, the 12th such mission since September last year.

“Once again, our experts have crossed the frontline to help ensure nuclear safety and security at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant which is caught up in the middle of the war.

“We should all be grateful for their determination to do everything they can to achieve this important task,” Mr Grossi said.

The IAEA continued to request access to all six turbine halls on the same day, one after the other.

To be able to confirm the absence of any materials and equipment that may contravene the five concrete principles for the protection of the plant, he said.

He added that his team had so far only been allowed to visit the roofs of two of the six reactor units and again demanded access to the remaining units.

(dpa/NAN)