VIENNA (AP) — Inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog haven't seen signs of Russia moving to immediately restart the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, an agency official said Thursday, after Greenpeace raised concerns about Moscow building power lines near the facility.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe with six reactors and one of the world's 10 biggest, has been a focus of concern for the International Atomic Energy Agency and the world during the war amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The plant has been held by Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, though it isn't producing power.
The city of Zaporizhzhia, about 440 kilometers (275 miles) southeast of Kyiv, is held by Ukraine and attacks have occurred around the plant as the front line is close. The IAEA rotates staff through the facility to check the plant's safety and offer its expertise.
Greenpeace sees power line construction
In a report Tuesday, Greenpeace said that satellite photos showed Russia had been building “an electricity high voltage power line” in Russia-held areas of Ukraine's Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. An Associated Press analysis of satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC of the same area also showed the construction of power lines and pylons.
“This is some of the first hard evidence of Russian moving ahead with its dangerous and illegal plans for restarting Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia," said Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, in a statement.
An IAEA official said that the agency's inspectors hadn't seen any major changes at the Zaporizhzhia plant suggesting Russia was preparing for an imminent effort to restart it, after being asked about the Greenpeace report.
“What I can say is our teams continue to confirm there is no indication at the moment that there will be any active preparations for a restart of the plant now," the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the IAEA's assessment.
Russia hasn't acknowledged the power line project. Ukraine sent a note to the IAEA and its membership on Wednesday raising concerns about the power line construction.
“These actions represent a blatant violation of international law and an infringement on Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Ukraine said in its letter. “The construction of this transmission line is a clear indication of the Russian Federation’s intent to initiate an unauthorized restart of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — a facility that remains the sovereign property of Ukraine.”
It added: “Any operation of the (plant) without explicit authorization of the Ukrainian nuclear regulator is illegal and poses a direct and unacceptable threat to nuclear safety.”
Zaporizhzhia remains a concern for world
Russia has suggested restarting the Zaporizhzhia plant in the past. IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi, told journalists Wednesday that the issue could be discussed on an upcoming trip he plans to make to Ukraine and possibly Russia.
“We are going to be continuing our discussions with both, in particular with the Russians on this idea of (the) restart of the plant," Grossi said. "It is a matter that requires very careful consideration.”
Zaporizhzhia's six reactors remain fueled with uranium though they are in a so-called cold shutdown — meaning nuclear reactions have stopped. However, the plant relies on external electricity to keep its reactor cool and power other safety systems. That external power has been cut multiple times in the war, forcing the plant to rely on diesel generators on site.
Further complicating potentially turning the plant back on is the 2023 collapse of the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnieper River. The plant relied on water from the river for its reservoir, forcing workers there to dig wells.
“The plant lost its main source of cooling water, so the whole system cannot work as it was originally designed," the IAEA official said. “The consumption of water is orders of magnitude higher (when the plant is operating) compared to cold shutdown. We don’t see any easy, quick fix for it.”
The Zaporizhzhia plant also has been mentioned by U.S. President Donald Trump as he's sought to reach a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine. In March, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the plant, with the American president suggesting “the United States can recover” it.
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Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
