Zaporizhzhia NPP will not be restarted until the end of the war, Russia has given its consent – IAEA

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which has been under Russian control since March 2022, will not be able to resume operations until the war is over. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, emphasized that the launch of any of the six reactors is possible only after several critical issues are resolved, including access to cooling water and a stable power supply.

One of the serious barriers to restarting is the Kakhovka Dam, which previously provided cooling for the reactors, which collapsed in 2023. Today, the amount of water available is insufficient for the safe operation of the power units.

During recent meetings between representatives of the IAEA, the occupation administration of the ZNPP, and the Russian regulator Rostekhnadzor, it was confirmed that even the Russian side recognized the impossibility of launching the nuclear power plant in wartime.

In general, the situation with the power supply remains extremely tense. Before the outbreak of hostilities, the ZNPP was supplied by ten power lines, but only one is currently operational.

Grossi noted: “There is a consensus: as long as the war continues, the plant cannot operate.” The IAEA team also recorded daily explosions in the vicinity of the ZNPP, confirming the extremely hazardous situation around this facility. At the moment, the Russian side does not have the necessary resources and technologies for the safe operation of the captured nuclear power plant, and the Ukrainian side considers any information statements about its restart as atomic blackmail.

It was also previously reported that Russia is actively working on creating a new high-voltage power line in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions to illegally launch the ZNPP and connect it to the Russian power grid.