Ceasefire Enables Power Line Repairs at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine
Ceasefire and Power Restoration Efforts at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
Background of the Ceasefire Agreement
Sept 5 (Reuters) - A local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency took effect on Saturday to allow repairs to restore external power to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, the IAEA said.
Current Power Situation at the Plant
The plant has been without external power since August 20 and has relied on emergency diesel generators to cool its vital safety systems.
Risks of Power Loss
The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said the facility is running low on diesel fuel and could face a station blackout within days unless power is restored or additional fuel is delivered.
Repair Operations and Technical Challenges
Repair of the Ferosplavna Power Line
Ukrainian technicians were due to begin work on the damaged Ferosplavna power line after demining the area, the IAEA said.
Russian Control and Security Concerns
Russian forces seized the plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, in the first weeks of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Duration and Scope of the Ceasefire
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev said a temporary ceasefire had come into force on Saturday morning around the plant to create conditions for the repair work, and that it was expected to last about a week.
Challenges in Restoring Power Supply
He said restoring the Ferosplavna line would not necessarily guarantee the resumption of external power supplies to the plant. He said another power line had been repaired on July 23 but had not been reconnected because of what he described as inaction by the Ukrainian authorities.
Reactions and Ongoing Tensions
Ukraine has not publicly commented on the reported ceasefire or Likhachev's remarks. Both Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused the other during the war of military action that compromises nuclear safety.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru, Anastasia Lyrchikova in Moscow; Writing by Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Timothy Heritage)
