The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is traveling to Russia for talks on Friday, according to Moscow, in the struggle to find a solution for the Moscow-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. In the Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad, Grossi is planning a meeting with the head of Moscow’s Rosatom nuclear agency, Alexei Lichatschow, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to the Russian agency Interfax. The IAEA did not initially confirm the meeting.
Grossi visited the power plant in the contested Zaporizhia region last week to get an idea of the security situation there after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam around two weeks ago. He described the situation as serious but stable. The largest European nuclear power plant had received its cooling water from the Kachowka reservoir, which has been losing water since the dam was destroyed.
Fresh water is needed to cool the decommissioned reactors and nuclear waste. There are still water reserves in the cooling ponds, which according to the IAEA are sufficient for several months. However, given the course of the war, experts from the IAEA and other organizations are concerned about the security and sustainability of this interim solution. Russia rejects Ukrainian demands for the power plant to be handed over.
