10 Aug 2022 21:54

IAEA director general to attend UN Security Council meeting to address situation at Zaporizhzhya NPP - statement

BERLIN. Aug 10 (Interfax) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mariano Grossi will inform the United Nations Security Council on Thursday on the situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and on plans of a mission of experts led by him to visit the NPP site, Grossi said in a statement circulated by the IAEA on Wednesday.

"I will also brief the Security Council about my plans and preparations to personally lead an IAEA mission to the site in the very near future," Grossi said in a statement.

The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. Moscow Time on Thursday. Grossi would take part in it via videoconference.

A source with the Russian permanent mission to the UN told Interfax earlier that Russia asked for a UN Security Council meeting to be held on August 11 to address the shelling of the Zaporizhzhya NPP by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Another source said Russia also asked for the IAEA director general to attend the meeting and present a report.

As reported, the NPP was again attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on August 7, resulting in damage caused to administrative buildings.

Grossi said earlier it was alarmed by reports saying that the Zaporizhzhya NPP was being shelled. He said he was willing to head a mission of IAEA safety, security, and safeguards experts to the NPP site.

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said in late May that the IAEA management was in touch with both Russia and Ukraine regarding a possible visit to the station, which is currently under control of Russian troops.

The Zaporizhzhya NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It operates six VVER-1000 reactor units, the first of which was put into operation in December 1984 and the sixth in October 1995.