Ensuring the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) remains a crucial issue in the context of determining its future fate. This was stated by Joshua Voltz, the U.S. Department of Energy’s special envoy for energy integration, during the visit of the American delegation to Kyiv.
This is reported by Finway
Safe Operation of ZNPP — A Priority for the U.S. and IAEA
According to Voltz, ensuring reliable and safe operation of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is a top priority for both the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He emphasized the importance of ZNPP for the overall energy architecture of Europe, noting its strategic significance for the energy security of the region.
“In my opinion, the primary principle and the most important aspect – from both our perspective and that of the IAEA – is the safety of this facility. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, and its role in the broader energy architecture of Europe is extremely important.”
Only after guarantees of safe operation, Voltz emphasized, can discussions about the management of the plant and its future status begin. He added that achieving an adequate level of safety will allow for more substantive discussions regarding the role of ZNPP in the future energy system of Ukraine and Europe.
ZNPP — A Key Element in War Negotiations
Joshua Voltz also noted that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is a critically important facility for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and therefore plays a significant role in shaping the final agreements between Ukraine and Russia regarding the end of the war. He refrained from commenting on the progress of the negotiation process but underscored the strategic importance of ZNPP in this context.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously reported that the issue of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains one of the key unresolved matters in the negotiations regarding a peace agreement.
In April, the IAEA reported that ZNPP had lost external power supply for the thirteenth time since the beginning of the Russian occupation due to the disconnection of the last power line. Subsequently, the company Energoatom restored the connection of the plant to the Ukrainian energy system, but soon the facility was again left without power for approximately 40 minutes.
Six reactors at ZNPP have been in cold shutdown since 2022, and the IAEA mission is continuously present at the site to monitor safety amid regular shelling and threats. Russian troops seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and since then the plant has not been generating electricity. Ukraine and Russia continue to blame each other for actions that create risks to the nuclear safety of the region.