The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, expressed concern on Tuesday 10 May about the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which is the largest in Europe with six reactors.
Fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian armies took place there in early March. Since then, according to Mr Grossi, the situation is “extremely fragile”, as the power plant is on Ukrainian territory, but “under Russian control”.
“The power plant is still run by the Ukrainian operators, but there is a security check by Russian troops and within the plant there are Russian experts whose function is not entirely clear, but they are high-level people who monitor the operation of the power plant. However, this goes against all the security principles put in place in terms of personnel”, explained the Director General at a hearing in the European Parliament.
According to Mr Grossi, there is a potential for disagreement between the people on the ground, with a risk of conflicting instructions being given. “This is something that should be avoided in a power plant as complex and sophisticated as this one”, he warned. He was concerned that a disagreement or confusing situation could lead to an accident.
The Director General also explained that IAEA inspectors could not visit the site. “I have offered to lead a mission there myself to check whether everything is in order in terms of nuclear safety and to look at all these command issues”, he said, adding that he was in contact with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities on the subject. According to him, if both sides agree to a visit, “the format of the political modalities of the visit is even more important to them than the technical mission that I have”, which complicates the visit. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)