IAEA chief to visit Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant over safety concerns

VIENNA -- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi will visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine next week to discuss the facility's safety issues, the agency said on Thursday.

Grossi will hold high-level talks in the Ukrainian capital Kiev next Tuesday before heading to the ZNPP, the IAEA said in a statement.

"The Director General is expected to address and seek to make progress on several current nuclear safety and security challenges at the ZNPP, including potential risks related to the plant's equipment maintenance activities," the IAEA said, adding that Grossi would also raise the issue of staffing at the ZNPP, following "a new announcement by the plant that from today no workers employed by Ukraine's national operator Energoatom will be allowed at the site."

The agency noted that the staff working at the ZNPP now consists of former Energoatom employees who have adopted Russian citizenship and signed employment contracts with the Russian operating entity, as well as staff who have been sent to the ZNPP from Russia.

The agency also said that its expert team stationed at the ZNPP was informed by the plant on Thursday that "there are enough certified personnel at the plant and all positions are fully filled."

"It is of crucial importance that the plant has the qualified and skilled staff that it needs for nuclear safety and security," Grossi said.

The IAEA said in the statement that Grossi would also stress timely access for the agency to all parts of the ZNPP relevant to nuclear safety and security.