Rosatom, IAEA chiefs note close positions on ZNPP security zone declaration

Russian Politics & Diplomacy December 22, 2022, 13:40

Alexey Likhachev and Rafael Grossi described the conversation as "substantive, useful and frank"

MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. The chief of Russia’s Rosatom corporation, Alexey Likhachev, and IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi held consultations in Moscow on Thursday to note considerable similarity of positions on a draft declaration concerning the creation of a security zone around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Rosatom said on its Telegram channel.

"At the meeting, approaches to the creation of a zone of nuclear and physical nuclear safety at the Zaporozhye NPP were discussed. Significant similarity of positions on the draft declaration concerning the creation of such a zone was noted. The consultations will continue based on the understanding of the need for wording a mutually acceptable draft as soon as possible," the news release reads.

The two men discussed the situation at the ZNPP in the context of improving the reliability of electric and thermal power supply for the NPP’s own facilities and the city of Energodar. Issues concerning the mission of IAEA experts at the NPP were touched upon.

Likhachev and Grossi described the conversation as "substantive, useful and frank."

The 6 GW Zaporozhye NPP, located in Energodar, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. At the end of February, the facility was put under control by Russian forces. Since then, the Ukrainian army has repeatedly shelled both the residential areas of Energodar and the territory of the nuclear plant, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.

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