IAEA mission arrives in Zaporozhye region

ENERGODAR. March 29 (Interfax) - A delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) led by IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi has arrived in the Zaporozhye region to visit the nuclear power plant in Energodar, a representative of regional emergency services told Interfax.

"The delegation has passed control and is headed to Energodar," he said.

The IAEA representatives crossed the contact line near Vasilyevka, which is the location of the only checkpoint in the Zaporozhye region.

Grossi said earlier that he was planning to visit the Zaporozhye NPP to assess nuclear safety and security levels and to ensure regular rotation of IAEA specialists at the site. The delegation has 18 members.

It was planned initially that the delegation would arrive at the plant at around 10 a.m. and would spend no more than seven hours there.

The Zaporozhye NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, operates six VVER-1000 reactor units. According to updated information, two of them are operational, but in hot shutdown mode only for heat supply. The plant has not produced electricity since September 11, 2022.

The NPP facilities have been transferred to Russian ownership, and the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant Federal State Unitary Enterprise has been established. The operator is the Operating Organization of the Zaporozhye NPP, which was established by Rosenergoatom, part of Rosatom State Corporation.

On September 1, 2022, an IAEA mission led by Grossi visited the plant for the first time. Since then, several specialists from the agency remain at the plant, and they are periodically rotated. The latest rotation took place on March 2, after three unsuccessful attempts.