Zaporizhzhia security, restart and US fuel discussed in IAEA-Russian talks
In the latest meeting between International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev the two sides discussed the on-going security situation and issues relating to any future restart of the plant's units.
Grossi, who visited Russia following talks in Ukraine, described the talks on social media platform X as a "comprehensive and necessary" exchange "on the current safety, security and safeguards situation" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "and the essential role" played by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts stationed at the plant "to prevent a nuclear accident".
At a press conference in Vienna on Monday as the IAEA board of governors met, Grossi said there was a "common view" between the Russian side and the IAEA that it would be inadvisable to restart the plant in the current military situation. He added: "There are other more technical aspects like, for example, the availability of enough water to cool down the reactors or also the availability of sufficient, stable, external power so you can rest assured that if it's started there will be no blackout and the plant will be able to operate."
"Apart from that we know that they have the intention to restart it at some point - some plans were shown to us - but that is a matter which has other interconnections with wider negotiations that are taking place."
The Russian Tass news agency's report of Likhachev's comments said the plant could only be restarted once there was no military threat, and quoted him as saying "we have already started construction of a floating modular pumping station with a capacity of up to 80,000 cubic metres per hour, which will address all problems related to water supply in the event that the units are brought to their design capacity".
Rosatom has already produced a plan for restarting the units in the future which is currently being considered by the Russian government.
One of the other topics covered was the issue of the rotation of the IAEA teams, which have been subject to delays because of security concerns. There was also a general discussion on how to ensure nuclear safety and security, and the general security situation at the plant, which has been under Russian military control since March 2022 and which is on the frontline of Ukrainian and Russian forces.
There has also been an issue with the US nuclear fuel at the plant, with Tass saying that Likhachev had asked Grossi to mediate discussions on the use of the US-manufactured fuel which are currently loaded into four of the six units with more in the fresh fuel storage facility and in the used fuel pools.
At his media conference on Monday, Grossi said the general situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - which continues to rely on one external power line - "continues to be very fragile ... the level of military activity is increasing, not decreasing". He also noted that the erosion of infrastructure in Ukraine "continues to have an impact on nuclear safety".
