Russia notes improvement in technical cooperation with IAEA

MOSCOW (Sputnik) -- Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom notes an improvement in technical cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said on Friday, commenting on the 23rd IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Stele fragment at the entrance to the territory Zaporozhye NPP in Energodar.     --Photo Sputnik

“An important result [of the negotiations] is a deep discussion of the affairs at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. The IAEA director general visited it literally the other day, on September 4, and personally conducted a rotation mission there, the 22nd rotation, the 23rd mission has begun its work. We note the improvement of technical cooperation, the improvement of joint work of both the IAEA inspectors and the plant personnel directly at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant site,” Likhachev said at a press conference with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Russia’s Kaliningrad.
“The situation at the Kursk nuclear power plant in Kurchatov is quite different from that in the Zaporozhye Region, and therefore a permanent mission at the Kursk plant requires some discussion. However, the direct threats to the security of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and the safety of the citizens of Kurchatov have been recorded,” Likhachev said.
IAEA specialists will be in the standby mode and will immediately head to the plant if additional risks or threats to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant are identified, Rosatom CEO added.
Likhachev pointed out that the IAEA’s stance on a Russian nuclear projects, including innovation, fourth generation energy projects and support at nuclear power plant construction sites in foreign countries are extremely important for Russia.
Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom later stated that Russia expects an adequate response from the IAEA Secretariat to the recent Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
“Likhachev pointed out that Russia expected an adequate response from the IAEA Secretariat to the recent Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant,” Rosatom said in a statement.
Russia, in turn, is doing everything necessary to ensure the safe operations of the plant amid increasing Ukrainian provocations, the statement said.
Both sides note IAEA’s quick and effective response to the threat to Russia’s Kursk Region and the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, Rosatom said, adding that an IAEA delegation paid a quick visit to the plant and recorded threats to it.
Rosatom added that the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is operating normally, as Grossi was able to verify during his visit to the plant on August 27.
From time to time the IAEA hears comments of disappointment both on the one hand and in Ukraine about what the organization is declaring, but it is declaring what it must declare, Grossi said at a joint press conference, adding that the IAEA, first of all, relies on a technical basis.
Grossi also thanked Likhachev and the entire Russian delegation for holding interdepartmental consultations, calling the meeting a very important round of consultations.
The IAEA also intends to expand its work with Russia on nuclear safety issues, Grossi said, noting that it is extremely important to maintain channels of communication between the IAEA and Russia despite disagreements.

(Latest Update September 9, 2024)