IAEA Director General Grossi warns of risk of nuclear incident at Kursk NPP
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, visited the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia as part of the Agency's mission and said that the plant was operating in a mode "very close to normal."
According to Censor.NET, with reference to Suspilne, he said this at a press conference.
"There was indeed a danger of a nuclear incident in the area of the Kursk NPP. I accepted Vladimir Putin's offer to visit the plant, as the IAEA is an international organization that is responsible for ensuring the nuclear and energy safety of nuclear facilities around the world," the IAEA chief said.
According to Grossi, the RBMK reactors at the Kursk NPP do not have a protective shell, which is used for safe reactors, and the reactor core is actually located in a regular building.
He emphasized that the IAEA wants to "prevent a strike on the Kursk NPP."
"The purpose of my visit was to personally assess the situation at the Kursk NPP and, together with my Russian colleagues, to find some solution to the current situation. Based on what I have seen at the plant today, I can say that the plant is operating in a very close to normal mode," Grossi said.
The IAEA chief also noted that he "saw traces of drone attacks at the station".
"As a CEO, I take the issue seriously when it comes to pointing fingers and blaming. But I can say one thing - we consider it in the context of this war," he said.
Grossi also noted that it is wrong to compare Chornobyl and Kursk NPPs.
"The Kursk NPP really does have the same reactor without protection. In the event of a core breach, it is difficult to say whether the situation will be of the same scale as during the Chornobyl accident. In order to prevent a nuclear disaster, we need to take into account the 5 principles established by the IAEA," said the head of the Agency.
Grossi added that he would be in Ukraine next week and then return to Russia.
"We will talk with Mr. Zelenskyy about the situation at the ZNPP. And also about the IAEA's presence at other nuclear facilities," Grossi said.
Earlier, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said that he intends to visit the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia on August 27.
