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IAEA's Grossi says it's far from safe to restart Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

It will be hazardous to reboot the Russianheld Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor in Ukraine as long as war rages around it despite Moscow's wish to fire up the complex, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.

Grossi held a conference with Russia on the concern last week after officials consisting of President Vladimir Putin told him Moscow intends to restart Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, where the 6 reactors are now closed down as the International Atomic Energy Company has actually suggested on safety premises.

The concept, naturally, they have is to reboot at some point. They are not planning to decommission this nuclear reactor. So this is what prompts the need to have a discussion about that, Grossi told a news conference on the very first day of a. quarterly meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors.

Russia said after recently's conference it is not currently. preparing to reactivate the plant. Grossi said some essential. actions require to be taken before it can restart safely.

In regards to what requires to occur ..., there should not be. any bombing or any activity of this type, Grossi said.

Then there must be a more steady guarantee of external. power supply. This needs repair work, crucial repair work of. existing lines, which at the minute, and due to the fact that of the armed force. activity, are really tough to imagine.

Russia and Ukraine have actually blamed each other for routine. shelling that has actually downed the plant's power lines. Last month the. plant was assaulted by drones that hit a reactor structure in the. worst such incident since November 2022, though nuclear safety. was not compromised, the IAEA said at the time.

The attacks and the regular disconnection of the off-site. power lines due to military activity are producing a grave. circumstance, Grossi said in a statement to the Vienna-based IAEA. Board earlier on Monday.

External power is essential to avoid a potentially. devastating crisis at a nuclear power plant like Zaporizhzhia. because it is required to cool fuel in the reactors even when those. reactors are closed down.

Zaporizhzhia is presently reliant on among its four primary. power lines and a backup line for external power. Considering that Russia. took the plant weeks after it got into Ukraine in February. 2022, the plant has lost all external power eight times, requiring. it to rely on emergency diesel generators for power.

(source: Reuters)