IAEA denies active preparations for Zaporizhia NPP launch, stresses lack of conditions for its operation – Grossi
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sees no signs of large-scale preparatory work by Russia for the launch of Zaporizhia NPP, as reported in a recent Greenpeace report, Director General of IAEA Rafael Grossi said.
During a briefing at the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine on Tuesday, Grossi said IAEA officials are observing satellite images of this region and the do not agree with what was stated in the report, namely that there is massive preparatory work and construction going on there, that they are very serious there, building a line. Something is happening there, but they do not agree with what came out in the report, Grossi added.
The IAEA Director General reminded that from the IAEA's point of view, the first and most important thing is the safety conditions that must be met in the event of any restart of the power units of the plant, and currently such conditions have not been met.
For his part, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko denied the possibility of an uncontrolled launch of Zaporizhia NPP and said the plant can start operating provided that the IAEA recognizes compliance with all safety standards, and this, in turn, is possible only under the control of Ukraine.
"I am sure that there will be no uncontrolled launch. There are a lot of technical issues here that are obstacles to the launch. But what Rafael said now seems to me to be key. In fact, the IAEA must recognize that all necessary nuclear and radiation safety standards have been met for the launch. And, accordingly, restarting the plant in compliance with such requirements is possible only by Ukrainian personnel and under the control of Ukraine," Haluschenko said.
However, Grossi added that in general, the possibility of a partial or full restart of Zaporizhia NPP should be discussed very seriously from a technical point of view.
The IAEA head said that could be very serious technical, namely technical, discussions of technical issues in connection with the possible launch, in full or in part, one or two units. However, there are certain safety conditions that must be met in order to start talking about any restart at all, and there is still a long way to go, he said.
As reported, in late May, The New York Times, citing a Greenpeace report, stated that Russia is building power transmission lines in the occupied southern part of Ukraine in order to connect the Zaporizhia NPP, which it has captured, to its own network, the largest in Europe.