Russia and Ukraine, with mediation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have agreed to a temporary ceasefire around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to repair power transmission lines, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Sunday, December 28.
“Critical repair work on power lines near the Ukrainian ZNPP has begun after another localized pause in hostilities brokered by the IAEA,” the agency said. An IAEA team is monitoring the repairs, which are expected to take several days.
During this window, crews aim to restore electricity transmission between the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant substations. “Director General Grossi thanks both sides for agreeing to this new temporary ‘period of silence,’” the IAEA said on social media.
Zaporizhzhia is Europe’s largest nuclear power station, with six reactors totaling 6,000 MW. It sits near Enerhodar on the southern bank of the shrunken Kakhovka reservoir. Russia seized the plant in March 2022, shortly after the war in Ukraine began, placing it under the management of JSC “Rosenergoatom.”
All ZNPP reactors are shut down but require constant cooling. The cooling system is powered by the external grid, with diesel generators providing backup during outages. The site has repeatedly come under fire during the war, with Russia and Ukraine blaming each other.
Who controls the plant after the war is a key issue in U.S.-mediated discussions on potential paths to peace in Ukraine.
