IAEA warns Zaporizhzhia plant remains at risk, maintains expert presence

Director General Grossi and France’s Minister Barrault told reporters the IAEA has kept experts at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant since 2022 and that the facility remains at risk while military activity continues nearby.

"I also want to commend the IAEA for the outstanding work that they've been doing to secure what is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe," Minister Barrault said, adding that the plant has been a target of Russian strikes in recent months and that restoring its operation will be important for Ukraine's sovereignty.

Grossi said he established a permanent presence of IAEA experts at the site in 2022 and that the agency's goal is to "avoid a nuclear accident that would add to the tragedy of the war that we are seeing." He said the plant has been in what he described as "a cold shutdown" and that ensuring a safe restart would require confirming that conditions are adequate. "This plant is at the front line. It is in, Russian controlled, territory," he said, and cautioned that a cessation of military activities — which could take the form of a ceasefire or a peace agreement — would be needed to reduce the immediate risk.

Officials described active agency work on site and emphasized that technical and political considerations are intertwined: the restart, safe operations and future status of the plant will be subject to negotiations and require both technical checks and political agreements. Grossi said the IAEA would likely be called on to play a role in ensuring the plant "is going to be there playing a constructive role in the future" if hostilities subside.

The briefing did not announce new security arrangements or a timeline for restarting the plant; rather, officials reiterated that the agency's presence aims to monitor safety and reduce the risk of a nuclear accident while military activity continues.