MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. After the second visit of IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency) Director General Rafael Grossi to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, it has become easier for Russia and the IAEA chief to conduct a dialogue on the plant’s safety, Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom’s CEO, said in an interview with TASS. In particular, this happened thanks to the permanent presence of the agency’s inspectors at the plant, he added.
"If during his first visit he (Grossi - TASS) was on a fact-finding mission and did not fully understand a lot of things, now he is deep into the subject, in particular thanks to the inspectors who stayed at the Zaporozhye NPP on a permanent basis," Karchaa said.
The Rosenergoatom official noted that in this matter Grossi is "walking a tightrope, a fine line between what is achievable and what is possible."
"He is for nuclear safety. That is for sure. In my opinion, he is sincere when he agrees with us that a nuclear plant should never be fired upon with anything and under any pretext. In this sense, he is with us," the expert added.
Karchaa stressed that the main result of Grossi's second visit to the Zaporozhye NPP was the assertion that attacks on the plant were unacceptable and that the idea of demilitarizing its territory was abandoned.
"Until recently, Grossi linked the security of the Zaporozhye NPP with the so-called demilitarization of both the plant and adjacent territories, but he was mistaken. This delusion was largely imposed on him by the Ukrainian regime and the United States, the UK and a number of other states representing the most aggressive wing of the collective West that are most supportive to it (the Ukrainian regime - TASS). These are the forces that, under the cover of the Zaporozhye NPP factor, unscrupulously manipulating nuclear safety, sought to solve a number of military-tactical tasks," the expert explained.
Grossi has visited the Zaporozhye NPP twice over the past year. His first visit took place on September 1, 2022 and resulted in establishing a permanent presence of IAEA inspectors at the ZNPP. On March 29, 2023, Grossi visited the plant for the second time and inspected its territory. He was shown objects that were damaged as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces. In particular, he saw the impact of a missile that fell between coolant tanks at the fourth power unit. Grossi then announced the need for additional measures to protect the NPP.