Next week, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, plans to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP), as reported by the IAEA.
Director General Grossi will visit the nuclear power plant for the second time during the war. It is also the first time since establishing a permanent presence of IAEA experts on 1 September 2022.
“I’ve decided to travel again to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to see for myself how the situation has evolved since September and to talk to those operating the facility in these unprecedented and very difficult circumstances. I remain determined to continue doing everything in my power to help reduce the risk of a nuclear accident during the tragic war in Ukraine,” stated Grossi.
Grossi noted that despite the organization’s seven-month presence at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the situation at the facility remains unstable.
“The nuclear safety and security dangers are all too obvious, as is the necessity to act now to prevent an accident with potential radiological consequences to the health and the environment for people in Ukraine and beyond. I’m therefore continuing to work on a proposal to protect the plant,” asserted the Director General of the IAEA.
Grossi noted that the purpose of his trip to Ukraine is to ensure a regular rotation of IAEA experts at the Zaporizhzhia NPP “after challenging circumstances” during the previous rotation in February, which was delayed by nearly a month. In addition, a new team of IAEA experts will accompany the Director General.
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