The process to restore external power to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine has started, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on October 9.
The process began after "intensive consultations" with authorities in Ukraine and Russia, Rafael Grossi said in a statement.
The nuclear power plant has been under Russian control since shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It has relied on emergency diesel generators since September 23 when external power lines were cut.
Since then Grossi has been engaging with Russia and Ukraine on proposals aimed at enabling the plant to receive the offsite power it needs to cool its six shutdown reactors and its spent fuel, the IAEA statement said.
The focus has been on creating the necessary security conditions for repairs to be carried out on the damaged sections of two power lines located on opposite sides of the front line near the power plant.
"While it will still take some time before the grid connection of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant has been restored, the two sides have engaged with us in a constructive way to achieve this important objective for the sake of nuclear safety and security," Grossi said in the statement.
Each side regularly accuses the other of military actions compromising nuclear safety, and Grossi has repeatedly warned about the risk of a nuclear accident caused by fighting near the plant.
The plant’s nuclear reactors have been shut down, but the plant still requires electricity to maintain safety functions such as cooling the reactors.
Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom has previously said it wants to restart the plant. But earlier on October 9, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Interfax as saying there were no grounds to restart it for now in the absence of an external power source.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week expressed concern about the situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in northern Ukraine after a drone attack on the nearby town of Slavutych cut off power to the decommissioned plant for three hours.
The Chernobyl plant, site of the world's worst nuclear accident, remains without an external power line, Grossi said in the statement on October 9. Ukraine has said the plant is being supplied by other power sources.
