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IAEA's Grossi plans to go over Zaporizhzhia plant with Russia's Putin

U.N. nuclear guard dog chief Rafael Grossi stated on Monday he plans to go over Russia's. plans for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor it is inhabiting. in Ukraine when he fulfills Russian President Vladimir Putin this. week.

Grossi is due to leave for Russia on Tuesday, he told a. interview on the opening day of a quarterly conference of. his company's 35-nation Board of Governors at which envoys from. various countries marked the second anniversary of Russian. forces seizing the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Grossi's journey to Russia has long been prepared. He originally. planned to go there last month after a journey to Ukraine.

There are problems related to the future operational status. of the plant. Is it going to be started or not? What is the. idea? What is the concept in terms of the external power supply. lines, because what we see is very delicate and thin? Grossi. said when asked what he would discuss with Putin.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, has actually lost. its connection to all its external power lines eight times in. the previous 18 months, requiring it to count on diesel generators for. important functions like cooling fuel in its reactors to avoid a. possibly disastrous meltdown.

While one of its primary power lines is currently operating. and its 6 reactors remain in shutdown, which decreases the. functional danger, the International Atomic Energy Firm states. the situation at the plant stays precarious.

Although Grossi stopped short of defining that he would. fulfill Putin, he said: It's the idea ... This is the intention.

He left open what other issues might be discussed.

I would not be featuring a fixed list of products. As it. takes place, when I have a conference with a world leader that has. obligations, and in particular a nuclear-weapon holder. state, permanent member of the Security Council, I can not. leave out that other things are gone over, he said.

(source: Reuters)