Timely inspections at ZNPP should be ensured to avoid problems - IAEA Director General

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi believes that the safety of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) depends on timely inspections and rotations of the Agency's mission

Grossi said this before the start of the 2024 World Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels, Ukrinform reports.

"To better control safety, we need to strengthen the role of international bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. We need to ensure timely inspections so that we can avoid problems. And we need concrete actions," said the IAEA Director General.

He believes that leaders of states and governments have realized how important the nuclear issue is today. The organization's goal is to develop more than 80 projects in this area and take steps at the state policy level that will triple nuclear power capacity by 2050.

"It depends on each country. Some countries will triple, some will double, but it is clear that nuclear power plays an important role in the vision of the future. It already provides half of the clean energy in Europe," Grossi summarized.

• ZNPP reactors are reaching the end of their shelf life. Energoatom said that Russia is not able to replace it on its own. "To do this, it is necessary to disassemble the reactor, gain access to it, and then carry out a very complex technological operation to reload it. This requires licensed personnel, which is not available now. It also requires complex management and technical decisions on what to do with the fuel that will be unloaded. There are people who have never done this before," explained Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin.
• The IAEA Board of Governors has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a draft resolution on nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine. It requires the return of Zaporizhzhia NPP to Kyiv's control.
• The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that any resolutions and statements regarding the return of Zaporizhzhia NPP to Ukrainian control are considered "a violation of Russian sovereignty.”
• At the same time, on March 12, Grossi said that the non-admission of Ukrainian specialists to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP poses no danger to the plant.