Zaporizhia NPP will need special status, cooperation agreement between Russia and Ukraine in case of peace – Grossi

The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant will require a "special status" and a cooperation agreement between Russia and Ukraine if a peace deal is reached, according to Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"Whatever side of the line it ends up, you will have to have a cooperative arrangement or a cooperative atmosphere," Grossi told Reuters.

"No single operator can use a nuclear power plant when across the river there is another country which is resisting this and may take action against that," the IAEA chief said.

He warned that without peace, the risk of a nuclear accident remains.

"Until the war stops or there is a ceasefire or the guns are silenced, there is always a possibility of something going very, very wrong," Grossi said.

At the same time, he noted that the issue of the Zaporizhia plant is political, but the IAEA's role remains decisive in this situation.

"Shared, not shared - and I don't want to get into that because it's political - ...it's something that Ukraine and Russia will be deciding at some point. But one thing is clear, the IAEA is indispensable in this situation," Grossi said.

As reported, the initial draft of a peace plan for Ukraine envisioned restarting the plant under IAEA supervision, with electricity production to be split 50/50 between Russia and Ukraine.

The Zaporizhia NPP has been occupied by Russia since March 4, 2022. It has not produced electricity since September of that year, and all six of its reactors remain in a "cold shutdown" state.