The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has completed the restoration of an important power transmission line that is critical for maintaining the nuclear safety of the facility. This was reported by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
This is reported by Finway
Temporary Ceasefire Allowed for Repairs
According to Grossi, the repair work was made possible due to safety guarantees provided by both sides of the conflict within the framework of a local ceasefire organized through the efforts of the IAEA. This is the third such agreement in recent months that has enabled the restoration of electricity supply at the ZNPP, which has been repeatedly interrupted due to hostilities. The agency emphasized that electricity supply is vital for ensuring the nuclear safety of the plant.
“The successful repair work carried out this week, as well as in October and November, demonstrates that an organization like the IAEA can collaborate with both sides of the conflict to achieve a common goal: preventing a nuclear accident that is not in anyone’s interest,” Grossi stated.
The repair work was conducted under the supervision of a team of IAEA experts who are directly present at the site. The restoration of the connection between the ZNPP’s electrical distribution stations and the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant was made possible two weeks after the line was damaged, likely due to military actions.
Nuclear Safety Under Constant Threat
The agency explained that the connection provides a key route for electricity through one of the two existing 330-kilovolt lines. This external power supply is necessary for cooling the reactor, spent nuclear fuel, and other safety systems, even when the plant is not generating electricity.
In early October, thanks to a previous ceasefire, it was possible to end the tenth and longest situation of complete loss of external power supply at the ZNPP since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Grossi expressed gratitude to Ukraine and the Russian Federation for their constructive cooperation, which allowed for the agreement and completion of the repairs. At the same time, he emphasized that the situation at the plant and other nuclear facilities in the country remains unstable, and the work of the IAEA continues.
The ZNPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, it had 10 power transmission lines, but currently, only two operational lines remain to provide its external power supply.