Zaporizhzhia NPP may start working again: IAEA on timing of restoration
The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, states that after the cessation of hostilities, Zaporizhzhia NPP may gradually return to work. Experts predict a difficult launch process, but it is possible, according to Reuters.
Russian troops seized Europe's largest nuclear power plant a week after invading Ukraine. Before the war, ZNPP provided 20% of Ukraine's electricity generation. All of its reactors have been shut down as the war rages nearby, threatening to cause a potentially catastrophic accident.
A relatively quick but gradual restart of the plant is possible. This will happen one reactor at a time, Grossi believes.
“We're talking about months, and perhaps for the whole Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to be back and operating in full with all the six units, it would take more than a year maybe, perhaps even mores,” Grossi said, adding that operating all reactors would be “difficult, but not impossible.”
Reactor cooling
The problem with cooling water arose after the plant's largest water source, the nearby Kakhovka Reservoir, was emptied after Russian forces blew up a dam in 2023. This led to the need to dig wells in Zaporizhzhia.
Grossi noted that more ambitious solutions to deliver water from more remote locations are ruled out because of the fighting, but a ceasefire could make them possible, paving the way for all reactors to be operational.
"If you are in a ceasefire situation, then you can envisage more ambitious work that will beef up ... your cooling capacity. So it's not impossible," he said.
The IAEA has a small number of staff deployed at nuclear power plants. Its latest quarterly report said the safety and security situation remained unstable, with Russian troops preventing access to parts of the plant.
"In terms of the safety of the plant and the general situation at the plant, I have to say that it is professionally controlled and managed (by Russia). SSome maintenance work ... (was) perhaps not as comprehensive as we could have had, but this is also a function of the war," he said.
Donald Trump suggested during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week that the United States could help run Ukraine's nuclear power plants, and possibly own them.
Zelenskyy denied that ownership was discussed, but said that ZNPP was among the topics. He added that Kyiv would be willing to discuss US participation in modernizing the plant if it were returned to Ukraine. However, Russia says any transfer to Ukraine or another country is "impossible."
