Russia and IAEA discussed the safety of the Ukrainian nuclear facilities

Kaliningrad, April 1 - Neftegaz.RU. Russia hosted the official meeting between Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and Director General of the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi, who arrived in Kaliningrad after his visit to Ukraine.
The military conflict is putting Ukraine's NPPs and other facilities with radioactive material in unprecedented danger.

Alexey Likhachev stated that the key topic of the talks was the issue of ensuring nuclear and physical security:

• The main task of Rosatom is to do everything necessary and assist the IAEA in the safe operation of Ukrainian nuclear facilities
• It is important to do everything to ensure that the IAEA has full information about the ongoing events and of course to enable specialists and maintenance personnel of the stations to perform their duties in the most difficult conditions

Security, security and security - these were the 3 topics we focused on in our negotiations in recent hours, the Rosatom Head stressed.
In turn, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi thanked Likhachev for cooperation:

• There is one concept, which is very important, that apart from our responsibilities, Russia on one hand, Ukraine on the other hand, and IAEA as international global nuclear institution
• We all have a common interest and a responsibility in ensuring that the present difficult circumstance we are going through are in no way aggravated by the eventuality of a nuclear accident
• Our intention is to continue to strengthen cooperation with Russia in order to ensure that we do not have any regrettable events related to the facilities in Ukraine, which are many and diverse in their configuration, in their importance, in the amount of nuclear materials that we have there

Out of the Ukraine’s 15 operational reactors at 4 sites, the regulator said 9 were operating, including 2 at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya NPP, 4 at Rivne, 1 at Khmelnytskyy, and 2 at South Ukraine.
The other reactors are shut down for regular maintenance.

Commenting on the safety of the Ukrainian nuclear facilities the Head of the UN atomic watchdog said that by a large, the situation was under control but there were things that needed to be improved and the work should continue.