Friday, 21 March 2025
The six-unit Zaporizhzhia plant – Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power site – has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. It is located very close to the current military frontline and has had teams of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts stationed at it since September 2022 as part of efforts to try to minimise risks to its safety and security.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks about a possible ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war. It included an initial measure to agree to not target energy infrastructure.
The White House said that during a subsequent phone call between Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky: “President Trump also discussed Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants. He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise. American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure.”
The Ukrainian Presidential office’s report on the call did not mention nuclear energy facilities and, at a press conference in Norway, Zelensky said there had been no discussion between the two about US ownership of Zaporizhzhia or Ukraine’s other nuclear power plants. He said that the nuclear energy sector in Ukraine was state-owned and belonged to the Ukrainian people.
Ukraine’s position since the start of the war has been that the only way to ensure the safety of the plant is for it to be returned to Ukraine. Russia says that it is meeting all security and safety requirements and has started the process of getting Russian regulatory approvals for possible restarting of units in the future (all six units are currently in cold shutdown).
In his latest update on the situation in Ukraine, Grossi said he welcomed “developments on restraint around energy infrastructure” and added: “Without interruption, the IAEA has been present at this major nuclear plant for two and a half years now, doing everything possible to help prevent a potentially disastrous nuclear accident. We all wish for this devastating war to end as soon as possible.
“With our in-depth knowledge and expertise about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, we stand ready to provide our technical contributions and support in the implementation of a future agreement regarding the plant. We will remain present for as long as it is needed to help ensure nuclear safety and security.”
He added that staff at Zaporizhzhia had reported a quieter week in terms of hearing military activity from the plant, and various maintenance works had been taking place with progress made in bringing a 330 kV back-up external power line back into operation.
“For all nuclear power plants, regular maintenance of structures, systems and components is necessary to prevent degradation of these essential items that would increase the risks to nuclear safety and security,” Grossi said. “This has been a particularly challenging issue during the past three years of war, when much of the focus has been on averting more immediate threats to nuclear safety and security and there has also been a lack of staff and other resources. That remains very much the case but it is positive that some maintenance is still being carried out.”
