IAEA, Rosatom Hold Moscow Talks on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Safety

Representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Russia met in Moscow on March 13 for interagency consultations covering the full range of safety, security, and safeguards concerns at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility and a site that has remained under Russian military control since March 2022.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi described the talks with Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev as "comprehensive and timely," saying the agenda included the current safety, security, and safeguards situation at the plant, along with the IAEA-brokered ceasefires that enabled repairs to restore the plant's back-up power line. Grossi added that the continued presence of IAEA experts at the facility, which sits close to the active frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces, "remains essential to prevent a nuclear accident."

On the Russian side, Rosatom reported that Grossi was briefed on ongoing preparation work, conducted jointly with Rostekhnadzor, Russia's nuclear regulatory agency, aimed at readying the plant's power units for launch and securing the relevant operating licences. Rostekhnadzor has issued 10-year operating licences for units 1 and 2 since December, though Rosatom has stated the units will not be restarted while the military conflict continues. Likhachev went further on the question of eventual electricity output, telling Interfax that "in terms of electricity sales and electricity use, we are prepared to consider an international and even multilateral format for this activity," while making clear that "the state corporation Rosatom will operate and guarantee the safe operation of the station."

Ukraine's position has remained unchanged: the six-unit plant should be returned to Ukrainian control and placed back under Ukrainian regulatory authority.

The Moscow talks reflect Grossi's sustained diplomatic effort across the four years since Russian forces seized the plant. He has addressed the UN Security Council seven occasions on IAEA activities related to Zaporizhzhia and has met with high-level officials from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation, including a March 2024 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin alongside Likhachev. Throughout, Grossi has pressed for strict observance of the IAEA's Five Principles and Seven Pillars framework as the operational standard for protecting the site.

On the ground, IAEA teams of up to three staff rotate to Zaporizhzhia every three to four weeks, conducting walkdowns and technical discussions focused on safety systems, maintenance and testing, configuration management, staffing, physical protection, radiation protection, and emergency preparedness. Those activities take place on weekdays, weekends, holidays, and evenings as required. Access, however, remains a persistent problem: the IAEA has faced restrictions in reaching certain areas of the plant and continues to formally request timely and appropriate access to all locations with potential implications for nuclear safety and security.

The licensing of units 1 and 2 by Rostekhnadzor, combined with Likhachev's signal toward a multilateral electricity arrangement, suggests Moscow is at least administratively positioning for an eventual restart scenario, even as active combat makes any near-term return to power generation a distant prospect. With IAEA rotations continuing and a seventh UNSC briefing from Grossi possible, the agency's monitoring role at Zaporizhzhia shows no signs of winding down.