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IAEA chief: Normal operations continue at Zaporizhzhia and "no security or safety systems" are compromised

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi points at a map of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during a press conference in Vienna, Austria, on March 4

04 March 2022 21:27 (UTC +04:00)

A top International Atomic Energy Agency official said “no security or safety systems have been compromised near the reactors themselves" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine — the largest in Europe — which Russian troops have occupied, APA reports citing CNN.

“We consider from a technical point of view that operation continues normally, although as I have stressed to the board of governors to the IAEA, there is no of course normalcy about this situation when there are military forces of course in charge of the site,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the United Nations Security Council.
He said he continues to be in contact with Ukraine officials, including the company that operates the facilities and operators at Zaporizhzhia.

He is ready to travel as soon as practical to Chernobyl to consult with Ukrainian counterparts, he said, but “if necessary, when necessary” will consult with “the forces in charge in order to establish a stable framework so the observance of the basic principles of safety and security starting with the physical integrity of the facilities can be observed.”

He requested UNSC support of the IAEA's efforts.

He delivered the briefing virtually while airborne to Tehran for a separate issue.