- Moscow and Kyiv have publicly maintained their claims over control of the facility, one of the world’s 10 largest and Europe’s biggest nuclear power plants, while no confirmed breakthrough has emerged in peace talks
- ZNPP has been under Russian control since March 2022, with International Atomic Energy Agency personnel stationed at site since September that year
ISTANBUL
As the Russia-Ukraine war approaches the end of its fourth year, the fate of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) remains unresolved amid intensified US-mediated peace talks seeking to bring an end to the ongoing conflict.
Located near the city of Enerhodar in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, the facility is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and ranks among the world’s 10 biggest.
The situation surrounding the plant has remained highly volatile since the war began. It has not supplied electricity to Ukraine’s national grid since September 2022, with its reactor units placed in varying states of shutdown over that period.
At least one of the plant’s six units has been placed in hot shutdown to provide district heating to Enerhodar, home to most of the facility’s staff, as well as process steam for liquid radioactive waste treatment.
Despite these measures, concerns persist over a possible nuclear disaster involving Moscow and Kyiv, both of which have frequently accused each other of attacks around the facility since the start of the conflict on Feb. 24, 2022.
Since Sept. 1, 2022, personnel from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have maintained a presence at the facility, which has remained under Russian control since March 2022 and provided a fifth of Ukraine's electricity before the start of the conflict.
Incidents at ZNPP
Since the onset of the war, numerous incidents have been reported at or around the ZNPP, heightening concerns over nuclear safety.
Both sides have accused each other of shelling that damaged infrastructure at the plant and severed its connection to the two external power lines supplying electricity.
During such disruptions, the facility has relied on emergency diesel generators to power reactor cooling systems and other essential nuclear safety functions.
Overall, the ZNPP has lost all off-site power 12 times since the conflict began. The longest blackout occurred last year, starting on Sept. 23, 2025, and lasting until Oct. 23.
That month-long outage marked the 10th such incident at the plant, with Moscow and Kyiv each blaming the other.
Separately, the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 raised fresh safety concerns due to the depletion of the Kakhovka Reservoir, the main source of the plant’s cooling systems.
Following reports of the dam’s destruction, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said assessments indicated no immediate threat to the plant’s safety, citing several alternative water sources.
Cooling water for the ZNPP’s six reactors and other critical nuclear safety systems is supplied through 11 groundwater wells, while the plant’s cooling pond would serve as a primary source if the wells became unavailable.
Late last month, the IAEA, citing Grossi, announced “crucial power line repairs” expected to last “a few days” near the ZNPP, amid a local ceasefire brokered by the UN nuclear watchdog.
“Grossi thanks both sides for agreeing to this new temporary ‘window of silence’ in order to restore power transmission between switchyards of ZNPP and Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant, strengthening nuclear safety,” the agency said. It later confirmed that the repairs had been completed.
The repairs marked the third time "in recent months" that a negotiated IAEA-monitored temporary truce allowed work on damaged power lines. A consultation on another temporary ceasefire was initiated by the watchdog on Jan. 9 after military activity on Jan. 2.
US-mediated peace negotiations
The status of the ZNPP has been described as one of “the most difficult” issues in a series of US-mediated talks aimed at securing a settlement to end the war.
Since November, a series of US-mediated talks have focused on a peace framework to end the war, with consultations held in Switzerland and the US. Early discussions were centered on a draft 28-point proposal, which reportedly required Ukraine to make major concessions, including recognition of Russian control over certain territories.
That draft was later revised into a 20-point document following intensive talks involving Ukrainian, European, and American officials, while US representatives also held multiple separate discussions with Russia.
Amid these consultations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined elements of the revised plan during a press briefing in December.
He identified the fate of the ZNPP as one of the “most difficult issues” remaining and said the US had proposed joint operation of the plant by Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington.
Zelenskyy described the proposal as “very unfortunate and not entirely realistic” from Ukraine’s perspective, instead offering a counterproposal under which the plant would be operated by a joint enterprise involving Kyiv and Washington, with electricity output divided equally between the two.
He added that the US would independently determine how to distribute its own 50% share.
Russia has not commented on Zelenskyy’s remarks and has avoided publicly discussing details of the revised proposal, saying Moscow considers it inappropriate to discuss them publicly.
Nevertheless, both Moscow and Kyiv have continued to publicly insist on their respective claims to control the plant’s operations, with no confirmed breakthrough in negotiations to date.
