IAEA: Key Zaporizhzhia power line repaired, but nuclear risks remain

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Friday that repairs to a key power line connecting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine to the external electricity grid have been completed, but warned the facility still faces serious nuclear safety risks. The technically complex work was carried out under an IAEA‑mediated ceasefire following extensive de‑mining, aimed at strengthening the plant’s access to off‑site power and reducing the risk of a nuclear accident.

Substation damage

However, the IAEA said the repaired 750‑kilovolt Dniprovska power line, disconnected since March, has not yet returned to service because its connecting substation, located more than 100 kilometres northwest of the plant, sustained extensive damage. “Repeated damage to the electrical infrastructure on which nuclear power plants depend continues to create serious nuclear safety and security risks,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said. “I once again call for maximum military restraint around all nuclear facilities and the power infrastructure they require.”

Progress amid war

Grossi described the ceasefire as the most challenging of six brokered by the IAEA since late last year, requiring months of delicate negotiations, mine clearance, and repairs on high pylons across the Dnipro River. He said both Ukraine and Russia enabled the repairs, demonstrating that “concrete progress remains possible, even during a large‑scale war.” Europe’s largest nuclear plant has been under Russian control since March 2022, with IAEA experts stationed at the site since September 2022.