IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called the situation there "extremely fragile" after his visit to the Zaporizhia NPP.

"The nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant is extremely fragile. The loss of the Kakhovka reservoir was a catastrophe for the region as a whole and has also added to the severe difficulties for this major nuclear power plant. Now more than ever, all sides must fully adhere to the IAEA's basic principles designed to prevent a nuclear accident," he said in a statement.

Grossi said that the organization will "intensify our efforts to help ensure nuclear safety and security, while also providing assistance to the affected region in other ways."

According to the statement, the IAEA is aware of reports of mines having been placed near the cooling pond.

The IAEA is aware of previous placement of mines outside the plant perimeter of the station and also at particular places inside, despite Grossi's failure to detect them during his visit to the plant.

"Our assessment of those particular placements was that while the presence of any explosive device is not in line with safety standards, the main safety functions of the facility would not be significantly affected. We are following the issue with great attention," Grossi said.

The agency also said that For the past two weeks, Europ'’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) has received the cooling water it needs from the reserves held by a discharge channel of the nearby Zaporizhia Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP).

In addition, ZNPP is planning to resume pumping water that still remains accessible despite a major loss of water in the Kakhovka reservoir caused by the destruction of the downstream dam earlier this month.

Adding to the potential dangers facing the plant, the ZNPP remains dependent on a single operational 750 kilovolt (kV) power line for the external electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions.