OMM Newsroom
A local ceasefire is being implemented near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to allow repairs at the facility, which is under Russian control, “Rosatom” chief Alexey Likhachev said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Likhachev said the plant’s backup 330kV Ferosplavnaya-1 external power line was providing an “extremely unstable” supply and posed risks. He cited a “very high probability” of further outages because of the “semi-destroyed state” of the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant.
Russia began efforts days ago to arrange a localized ceasefire to enable repairs at the thermal plant, Likhachev said. Its switchgear is essential to safety and power supplies, including those to the nuclear plant.
“By engaging the IAEA and coordinating with our relevant ministries … we have successfully established a ‘regime of silence’ at the ZTPP today,” Likhachev was quoted as saying by Russian media, including state news agency Tass.
“Rosatom” specialists are heading to the site to start repairs to technical equipment, which Likhachev said would help strengthen electricity supplies to the nuclear plant.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station and one of the world’s 10 largest, remains a focus of concern over the risk of a nuclear disaster. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of attacks near the facility in southeastern Ukraine.
IAEA personnel have been stationed at the plant since Sept. 1, 2022. Russia has controlled it since March 2022.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said earlier this month that he was negotiating a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to allow repairs at the thermal plant.
