The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, plans to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week over the worrying security situation at the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya.
Europe's largest nuclear plant is currently supplied with only a single power line for cooling nuclear material, Grossi said during a press conference in Vienna on the sidelines of a meeting of the IAEA board of governors.
"All this makes for a very, very precarious situation," Grossi said. The IAEA chief plans to leave for Russia on Tuesday.
Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant at the beginning of March 2022. Since then, nine of the original 10 lines that supplied the plant with electricity have failed due to the war.
An IAEA team is constantly on site to monitor the situation at the largely decommissioned power plant, which is very close to the front line. The experts reported military activities in the vicinity of the plant at the weekend.
"The physical integrity of the station continues to be at risk," said Grossi.
The IAEA chief met Putin in October 2022 to negotiate the establishment of a security zone around the plant. Grossi's plan was never implemented, partly due to resistance from Ukraine.
Instead, Grossi has since proclaimed principles for preventing a nuclear accident in Zaporizhzhya at the UN Security Council.
According to these principles, the facility may not be fired upon, nor may it be used as a base for attacks.
In a recent report for the IAEA board of governors, Grossi complained that his team on site was not allowed to move freely around the facility in order to check that no weapons systems were stationed there.
He also pointed to the significant drop in staffing levels, delayed maintenance work and lack of spare parts under Russian management.
