ENERGODAR
\nUN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi on Thursday said the situation at the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant in Ukraine was \u201cserious\u201d but being stabilised as Kyiv reported progress in its counter-offensive.
\nFears for Europe\u2019s biggest nuclear plant, which have persisted throughout Moscow\u2019s Ukraine offensive, have been exacerbated by the destruction of a dam that provided the cooling water for the plant.
\nGrossi, whose trip was delayed by a day as fighting intensified in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, arrived to assess potential risks.
\n\u201cOn the one hand, we can see that the situation is serious, the consequences (of the dam\u2019s destruction) are there, and they are real,\u201d said Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
\n\u201cAt the same time, there are measures that are being taken to stabilise the situation.\u201d this news agency saw Grossi arrive at the plant in a white jeep with the IAEA blue flag attached to it. His car was followed by armoured vehicles.
\nHe described the trip as \u201cextremely difficult\u201d but \u201cimportant.\u201d \u201cUntil a few hours ago I was not sure whether I would be able to come here and visit the plant,\u201d Grossi said.
\n\u201cOf course, this is a result of increased tension in the area.\u201d He said he was able to see the plant\u2019s cooling pond and \u201cthere was sufficient water\u201d.
\nGrossi\u2019s third trip to the plant, which fell to Moscow\u2019s forces early in their offensive, came as Ukraine, bolstered with Western weapons and training, pushed its long-awaited effort to force Russian troops off its territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ENERGODAR UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi on Thursday said the situation at the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant in Ukraine was \u201cserious\u201d but being stabilised as Kyiv reported progress in its counter-offensive. Fears for Europe\u2019s biggest nuclear plant, which have persisted throughout Moscow\u2019s Ukraine offensive, have been exacerbated by the destruction of a dam that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-338205","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n