Zaporizhzhia plant is preparing to restart a reactor, says IAEA

Ukrainian officials who run the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) are preparing to restart one of the plant’s six reactors, all of which are currently closed, the United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday. fair (5).

“The Ukrainian operational team informed the IAEA experts [Agência Internacional de Energia Atómica] present at the ZNPP that preparations are underway to start unit 5 at reduced power to produce steam and heat for the plant’s needs,” the IAEA said in a statement, adding that preparations would take “some time”.

Zaporizhzhia plant under Russian supervision after annexation

Russia plans to oversee operations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after formally annexing the wider Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine this week, state news agency RIA reported on Wednesday, citing a Ministry of Health official. Foreign Affairs.

Russia captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in early March, shortly after invading Ukraine, but the Ukrainian team continued to operate it. Since then, Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of bombing the facility, risking a nuclear disaster.

“The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is now on the territory of the Russian Federation and therefore must be operated under the supervision of our relevant agencies,” Deputy Chancellor Sergei Vershinin said, according to the RIA.

It was unclear how Russia plans to operate the plant and whether it would attempt to introduce its own staff into the complex.

Another Russian state news agency, Tass, reported that Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, will visit Moscow in the coming days to discuss the situation at the plant.

(Edited by William Maclean, Reuters)