United Nations – The head of the United Nations atomic energy agency IAEA is scheduled to visit Ukraine next week as a follow-up to his pledge last month to expand watchdog oversight of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, which are at the heart of Russia’s nearly 11-month state war.
The IAEA confirmed the planned visit on Friday after Director General Rafael Grossi and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmekhal “agreed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will establish a continuous presence of nuclear safety and security experts everywhere in the China’s nuclear power plants as part of stepped-up efforts to help prevent nuclear accidents during the current armed conflict.”
“Director General Grossi has repeatedly stressed his grave concern about the extremely difficult and challenging situation of the factory workers. Any mistreatment or mistreatment of ZNPP personnel [Zaporizhzhia] That would be completely unacceptable, agency spokesman Fredrik Dahl told CBS News on Friday. Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
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The head of the IAEA has made multiple trips to Ukraine and Russia to seal an agreement on nuclear safety amid fierce battles, and plans to send inspectors at all Ukrainian facilities. The agency carried out another IAEA staff rotation in Zaporozhye (ZNPP) earlier this week and next week the director-general will be under Ukrainian control at the request of Ukrainian authorities, according to a source familiar with the situation. Establishment of the IAEA Extended Presence Program for all NPPs.
The increase in Ukrainian inspectors follows Grossi’s discussions with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Smekhal “agreed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will maintain nuclear safety and security experts at all nuclear power plants in the country as part of an enhanced effort to help prevent A nuclear accident occurred during the current armed conflict.”
Last week, the IAEA said it “continues to prepare to deploy IAEA teams as soon as possible on a sustained basis to the other four nuclear facilities in Ukraine, Khmelnytsky, Rivne and South Ukraine [nuclear power plants], and the Chernobyl site, as agreed in December in Paris by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Smekhal and IAEA Director General Grossi. “
“These missions are designed to provide technical support and assistance as needed to help maintain a high level of nuclear safety and security and reduce the risk of potential radiological impacts on the population and environment from a nuclear incident or accident,” the agency said, adding that the Rossi “is continuing consultations with Ukraine and Russia with the aim of agreeing on and implementing a nuclear safety and security protected zone around the ZNPP as soon as possible.”
The permanent presence of a team at the Zaporizhzhia plant was probably the most difficult part of the IAEA’s planned implementation. Russian troops have occupied the sprawling facility since March, and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in October that the plant was on Russian soil.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, negotiating a safe zone around Zaporozhye has been difficult because of the imminent fighting.
“Director-General Grossi has repeatedly expressed serious concern about the impact of the ZNPP’s challenging working conditions,” the agency said in a statement last week.
November, “60 Minutes report Regarding the “possible disaster” related to the Ukrainian nuclear power facility.
Grossi has trigger the alarm He has been talking about Ukraine’s nuclear power plant since the summer, when he said of Zaporozhye: “Any military fire against or from that facility would be tantamount to playing with fire and potentially catastrophic. s consequence.”
Pamela Falk
