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Could Russia restart Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant soon? IAEA chief responds

Could Russia restart Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant soon? IAEA chief responds Photo: Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA (Getty Images)
Author: Daryna Vialko

Russia is unlikely to be able to restart the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant soon, despite active efforts to do so, stated Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to Sky News.

During his visit to Kyiv, Grossi emphasized that the Russians had "never hidden" their intention to resume operations at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but they will not be able to do this in the near future.

The IAEA chief noted that to restart the plant, which is currently shut down, it would be necessary to pump water from the Dnipro River.

Rumors about Russia's plans

The New York Times wrote that Russia is building power lines to restart the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.

New power lines were spotted in the occupied Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Berdyansk. They were built after February 2025.

Grossi, responding to this information, stressed that he was concerned about Russia's plans for the ZNPP. According to him, the IAEA plans to continue negotiations with Russia on this issue.

The ZNPP is currently operating on only one power line. Before the full-scale war began, there were ten.