IAEA chief says Zaporizhzhia plant reconnected to off-site backup power line

ISTANBUL

Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said on Friday that the off-site backup power line to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was restored and reconnected following repairs.

According to an IAEA statement, Grossi said the 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 off-site power line was reconnected to the facility on Thursday after repairs under a fifth local ceasefire, which was negotiated by the UN nuclear watchdog late last month.

He said the ZNPP relied on the 750 kV Dniprovska off‑site power line to sustain all essential nuclear safety functions for 23 days, and the plant had four 750 kV and six 330 kV power lines available before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The restoration of the additional off-site power line strengthens nuclear safety and security,” Grossi was quoted as saying in the statement, which noted that the Ferosplavna-1 power line was disconnected on Feb. 10 “reportedly as a result of military activity at the switchyard operated by the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP). “

Grossi announced on Feb. 27 that an IAEA-brokered ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine entered into effect in the area of the ZNPP to repair the backup 330 kV power line.

The situation around the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and one of the world’s 10 largest, remains tense as concerns persist over a possible nuclear disaster, with Moscow and Kyiv frequently accusing each other of attacks around the facility.

From Sept. 1, 2022, IAEA personnel have been present at the plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.​​​​​​​