The IAEA has secured an agreement with Ukraine and Russia on a localized ceasefire to allow repairs to the last remaining backup power line to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Repair work is expected to begin in the coming days.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has reached an agreement with Ukraine and the Russian Federation to implement a localized ceasefire that will allow repair work to begin on the last remaining backup power line to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
According to the agency, technicians from Ukraine’s electricity grid operator are expected to start repairing the 330 kV power line in the coming days. The line was damaged and disconnected on January 2 as a result of military activity, leaving Europe’s largest nuclear power plant reliant on its sole remaining 750 kV main power line.
An IAEA team has departed Vienna and is traveling to the frontline area to observe the repair work. The agency noted that this is the fourth temporary ceasefire it has negotiated to help ensure nuclear safety at the plant.
In addition, IAEA experts this week assessed the measures taken at the Zaporizhzhya NPP to ensure nuclear safety during adverse winter conditions. The team confirmed that winter protection measures are in place to prevent freezing of water in groundwater wells that supply cooling water for reactors and spent fuel pools. The readiness of emergency diesel generators in the event of a loss of off-site power is also being monitored.
Separately, the IAEA reported that one power line at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant was disconnected over the past week after military activity damaged a critical electrical substation. Despite this, the site continued to receive off-site power from other lines. The agency stressed that the condition of the power grid has a direct impact on the nuclear safety of all nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
According to the IAEA, military activity or air raid alarms were reported at all five nuclear sites in Ukraine over the past week, including the Zaporizhzhya, South Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi and Chornobyl nuclear power plants.