IAEA chief to visit Chernobyl NPP next week

BERLIN. April 22 (Interfax) - The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, will lead a team of experts who will visit the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) next week, the IAEA website stated on Friday.

"The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, will head an expert mission to Ukraine's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) next week to step up efforts to help prevent the danger of a nuclear accident during the current conflict in the country", a statement on the IAEA website said.

The team will arrive in Chernobyl on April 26 to deliver necessary equipment and carry out radiological and other assessments of the site.

In March, Grossi visited the South Ukraine NPP where he discussed IAEA assistance for Ukraine with the country's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, the head of the nuclear power industry regulator, Oleh Korikov, Energoatom chief Petro Kotin, and the South Ukraine NPP's General Director Ihor Polovych. Grossi said that, "IAEA's on-site presence will help prevent the danger of a nuclear accident that could have severe public health and environmental consequences in Ukraine and beyond."