The head of the UN Atomic Energy Agency visits the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after a dam burst.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is “serious” but stabilizing.
Grossi arrived at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant on Thursday to assess possible safety risks following the partial collapse of the Kakhovka dam, which caused widespread flooding and exacerbated fears for the facility’s safety.
The plant has been shut down, but still needs water to cool the fuel in the reactors and the spent fuel to prevent a meltdown. It uses a cooling pond to keep its six reactors from overheating. The Kakhovka Reservoir was normally used to refill the pond but is now unable to do so due to falling water levels due to the breach, officials said.
Instead, the pond, which is separate from the reservoir, can be replenished using deep underground wells, they said.
“On the one hand, we can see that the situation is serious,” Grossi said during a visit to the factory. “The consequences [of the dam’s destruction] are there, and they are real.”
“At the same time, measures are being taken to stabilize the situation.”
He said it was unrealistic to expect Moscow and Kiev to sign a document on site security while fighting raged nearby. He also said IAEA inspectors would remain on site.
“We have a political agreement that was formulated on the [United Nations] Security Council. Reaching a written agreement would be unrealistic at this stage because, as we know, there are no peace or cease-fire negotiations between the parties,” Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Grossi as saying.
Grossi’s journey to the Zaporizhzhia factory was delayed by a day for security reasons as heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces continues.
Russian forces captured both the Kakhovka Nuclear and Hydropower Plant shortly after President Vladimir Putin sent them to Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Grossi has repeatedly called for an end to fighting near the facility to avoid catastrophic accidents.
Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for firing on the plant, which has repeatedly cut power lines. There are diesel generators in the factory, which also has alternative water sources.
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull reported from Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, that any damage to the plant could have “catastrophic consequences”.
“It is difficult to overestimate the dangers of this potentially dangerous place, given its location close to the front lines.
“[Grossi] is clearly reassured to some degree by what is in place there,” he added.
Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying that during his visit, Grossi observed the safety measures taken at the plant to ensure its safety after the dam burst.