The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stated on Monday that he "intends to discuss Russia's plans regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which it occupies in Ukraine, when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week." He clarified during a press conference on the opening day of the quarterly meeting of the agency's Board of Governors, consisting of 35 countries, which marked the second anniversary of Russian forces seizing the plant, that he "will depart for Russia tomorrow, Tuesday."
When asked what he would discuss with Putin, Grossi said: "There are issues related to the future operational status of the plant, will it operate or not?... What is the plan for external power supply lines, as what we see (the situation) is very fragile and weak?"
Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has lost contact with all external power lines eight times over the past 18 months, forcing it to rely on diesel generators to perform essential functions such as cooling the fuel in its reactors to avoid a potential catastrophic meltdown. Grossi's visit to Russia has been planned for a long time. He originally intended to visit last month after a trip to Ukraine.
