On April 26, Head of IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi visited Chornobyl NPP. He led the Agency's mission on preventing nuclear accidents during the war in Ukraine. Mr Grossi was accompanied by high officials of IAEA represented Italy, France, Austria, Sweden and several other countries.
As was declared ahead of the visit, presence of IAEA in Chornobyl would be of primary importance for activity of this organization to support Ukraine, as the Agency strives to restore the regulatory control of the NPP and to ensure its safe and reliable operation.
The IAEA experts have delivered the equipment and set the purpose to conduct radiological surveys at the ChNPP site which was occupied by russian troops for five weeks.
As a part of the visit, the participants of the delegation laid flowers to the Memorial of Heroes-Liquidators and met with the plant's personnel.
Also this visit to the ChNPP site included a meeting attended by Acting Chairman of SNRIU Oleh Korikov, Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources Iryna Stavchuk, Chairman of SAUEZM Yevhen Kramarenko and Acting Director General of ChNPP Valeriy Seyda.
The attendees discussed problems caused by the russian occupation of the Exclusion Zone and industrial site of the plant, and new challenges to be addressed during evolution of the world nuclear energy.
In particular, Mr Seyda presented to the IAEA Director General nine urgent tasks which ChNPP should perform under the state support and support of international community as soon as possible:
1. Demining and explosive ordnance disposal.
2. Renewal of workshops and office rooms.
3. Purchase of the plundered property.
4. Repair and upgrade of physical protection system.
5. Resumption of works on SNF transportation and ensuring the safe operation of RAW management facilities.
6. Design works and purchase of equipment for dismantling of the Shelter’s unstable structures.
7. Creation of infrastructure for ensuring the work performance at ChNPP industrial site on rotational basis.
8. Works on creation of High-Level Long-Length Waste Cutting Facility.
9. Ensuring the ChNPP security against unmanned aerial vehicles.
Mr Grossi gave his comments to the presentation, thanked for such detailed list of tasks and assured that the IAEA delegation arrived not to make political statements but to act.
“Yes, we will work on all, and I would like to propose that we create a special working group today. We will set it up and it will include my technical colleagues who are going to be here [at ChNPP — ed.] under the leadership of my two Deputies”, — firmly stated Rafael Mariano Grossi.
“We are working with the IAEA for many years and I believe that now our cooperation will be fruitful and successful,” — concluded the meeting Valeriy Seyda.
