IAEA concerned about Russia's plans for Zaporizhzhia NPP: Grossi prepares new visit to Ukraine
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The IAEA is concerned about Russia's plans to connect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to its own power grid, said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reports Euro News.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he will visit Kyiv in the coming days amid reports that Russian forces are building power lines to connect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to its energy system.
"I can say that, in the next few days, I will go to Kyiv again and perhaps also to Russia," Grossi said.
He emphasized that the situation at the front remains "extremely active," with military operations continuing in close proximity to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
"We are concerned about this, we are following that. As you know, we have a permanent presence at the plant. And we are going to be continuing our discussions with both, in particular with the Russians, on this," he said, adding that the idea of restarting of the plant "is a matter that requires very careful consideration and perhaps very thorough safety evaluation. So this is one of the points I am going to be discussing with them over the next few days," he concluded.
Russia plans to use Zaporizhzhia NPP
Recently, The New York Times reported that Russian forces are constructing power lines in temporarily occupied territories in southeastern Ukraine.
Data collected by Greenpeace, along with satellite images, show new power lines and pylons between the occupied Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Berdiansk on the coast of the Sea of Azov, which appeared after February 2025.
According to Greenpeace, this indicates that Moscow is preparing to restart and operate the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which had been shut down. The IAEA is concerned about this possibility.
More details about what is currently known regarding Russia's plans for the Zaporizhzhia NPP can be found in the RBC-Ukraine report.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022.
Since the beginning of the occupation, Russian forces have mined parts of the plant's territory and stationed their troops there. Moreover, over the years, they have repeatedly provoked incidents at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, and the plant has often been on the brink of a blackout.
