Temporary Truce Near Zaporozhye NPP Allows Power Line Repairs
IAEA says Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary truce near Zaporozhye NPP, enabling urgent repairs to power lines critical for the plant’s safety.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has reported that Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a temporary ceasefire in the area surrounding the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, allowing specialists to begin urgent repairs on the facility’s external power supply lines.
In a statement published on the agency’s social media channels, Grossi expressed appreciation to both sides for consenting to what he described as a new, temporary «period of silence» aimed specifically at restoring electricity transmission to the plant.
Grossi stressed that the repair work now underway is critical for the safety of the facility and is expected to take several days. He noted that these operations became possible only after a temporary halt in hostilities was put in place near the Zaporozhye plant.
The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which is under the control of Russian forces, is the largest nuclear facility in Europe. All of its power units are currently shut down and not generating electricity. The plant relies on external power supplied via the «Dneprovskaya» and «Ferrosplavnaya» transmission lines.
Since May 2025, the facility had effectively depended solely on the Dneprovskaya line. Between September 23 and October 23, after that line went offline, the plant was left without any external power supply. During that period, electricity was provided by backup diesel generators.
Security guarantees were required before restoration work could begin. Moscow raised the issue at the IAEA level, and on October 18 the agency announced that repairs would start following the creation of localized ceasefire zones. Russia’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed that the necessary guarantees had been received from Kiev.
On October 23, the Dneprovskaya line was brought back into operation, followed by the launch of the Ferrosplavnaya-1 line on November 8. However, on December 6 and again on December 13, the Zaporozhye plant experienced two complete losses of external power. In both instances, the facility was switched back to its reserve diesel generators.