Particle.news
Download on the App Store

IAEA-Brokered Ceasefire Lets Zaporizhzhia Power-Line Repairs Begin

The work targets damaged links between the nuclear plant and a nearby thermal station, aiming to stabilize external power.

Overview

  • Technicians started fixing transmission lines between the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant switchyard and the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant under IAEA supervision, with work expected to take several days.
  • Russia and Ukraine agreed to a localized “window of silence” so crews could carry out the operation, which the IAEA describes as part of efforts to prevent a nuclear accident.
  • The Zaporizhzhia site has lost off‑site power roughly a dozen times since 2022, including incidents earlier in December, underscoring persistent safety vulnerabilities.
  • The IAEA reports Ukraine’s grid remains degraded, with the Khmelnytsky and Rivne nuclear plants reducing output after their substations were hit in recent attacks.
  • Control and future management of the plant remain contested within ongoing negotiations, with reported joint-operation proposals and continuing mutual accusations over strikes near the site.