The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected at the Zaporizhia power plant in the morning
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is expected on Wednesday at the Russian-held nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, whose safety the international community fears.
Mr Grossi and his delegation were due to arrive at the site in the morning and leave in the afternoon, according to Tass agency, citing an official from Russian operator Rosenergoatom. This is Mr Grossi’s second visit to Zaporizhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, since the conflict began. He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Zaporizhia.
“Military action continues” around the plant, he told CNN on Tuesday. “In fact, it’s increasing. There is an increasing number of troops, military vehicles, heavy artillery and more and more military action around the factory,” he explained.
Arriving in Ukraine earlier this week, Mr. Grossi has to cross the front line to enter Russian-controlled facilities. The IAEA has had a team of experts at the facility since September 2022. The head of the UN agency has been consulting with Kiev and Moscow for several months to set up a protective zone around the compound, which is regularly hit by strikes and has repeatedly been the victim of power outages.
“I will continue my deliberations to try to build protection around the facility and save us all from a potentially catastrophic nuclear accident,” he said on CNN.
Ukraine believes that only a withdrawal of the Russian army and personnel from the site would ensure nuclear safety. Russia accuses Kiev of wanting to take over the site by force.
On March 22, Mr. Grossi warned that the plant was in a “dangerous state”. According to the IAEA, the “last emergency power line” damaged since March 1 remains “disconnected and under repair”. However, as a last resort, it makes it possible to ensure nuclear safety in Zaporozhye, in particular by cooling its reactors. The plant depends on power from a single external 750 kV main line, and any damage (to that line) will result in total loss of all external power to the plant, according to the IAEA.
On March 9, the gigantic power plant was cut off from the Ukrainian power grid for eleven hours after a Russian strike. Emergency diesel generators have been switched on to ensure a minimum supply of safety systems, said the Ukrainian operator Energoatom, who had warned of the danger of a nuclear accident. “We’re playing with fire,” warned Mr. Grossi.