The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, visited the Zaporizhzhya NPP (ZNPP), which Russian troops have temporarily occupied since March 2022.
Rafael Grossi visited the ZNPP
It was his fourth visit to the occupied station. Grossi said that during the visit, he had to assess compliance with the five IAEA principles for the station's protection, the condition of the current power and cooling systems, the level of qualified personnel, etc.
These are vital assessments for the facility's safety and security — no place for complacency, he noted.
The day before, on February 6, in Kyiv, Grossi met with the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, Herman Galushchenko, the Chief State Inspector for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Ukraine, Oleg Korikov and the President of Energoatom Petro Kotin.
Officials exchanged questions about the functioning of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Grossi also met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They discussed the situation at the station and security challenges.
Ukraine's President emphasised that the Russian occupation of the ZNPP should end, and this is the main prerequisite for restoring radiation safety for the entire region.
After the visit to the ZNPP, Grossi also plans to visit Moscow.
The situation at Zaporizhzhia NPP
At the beginning of March 2022, Russian troops occupied Energodar and the ZNNP.
According to the President of Energoatom Kotin, 822 Ukrainian nuclear workers have remained working at the plant as of September 2023.
Russian occupiers repeatedly kidnapped Ukrainian workers and tortured them. The Russians also placed mines around the perimeter of the station.
Five out of six reactors of the ZNPP are in "cold shutdown" mode. Power Unit No. 4 is in "hot shutdown" mode to produce energy for the occupied city of Energodar.
