Zaporizhzhia NPP cannot be restarted until end of war, and Russia agrees to this – IAEA
Photo: IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (Getty Images)
The temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant cannot be restarted until the end of the war, as long as there is a threat to nuclear safety. The IAEA states that Russia has agreed to this, according to a statement by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
According to the IAEA mission, in order to restart any reactor at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), issues with access to water from the cooling pond and external power sources must be resolved.
These prerequisites for restarting the plant were communicated to the IAEA during discussions with representatives of the occupied facility and the Russian regulator, Rostekhnadzor, which is conducting pre-licensing inspection activities for reactors one and two.
The situation with the plant’s external power supply also remains extremely unstable. Currently, only one power transmission line is operational, compared to ten before the war.
Moreover, the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023 means that the ZNPP no longer has sufficient water to cool its six reactors.
"Based on the discussions at the site this week, it is clear that there is a general consensus among all parties that the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant cannot start operating again as long as this large-scale war continues to endanger nuclear safety at the site, which is what the IAEA has also been stating very clearly," Grossi said.
International observers reported hearing explosions at varying distances from the plant almost daily over the past week.
Occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and Europe. It has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022.
Russian forces have mined parts of the facility and turned the plant’s territory into a military base.
Russian forces regularly stage provocations at the ZNPP, repeatedly creating the risk of a complete blackout.
In addition, Russia is illegally detaining at least 13 plant employees: seven of them have already been convicted on fabricated charges. Three more are awaiting verdicts in Russian prisons, while the fate of the others remains unknown.
