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IAEA-Brokered Ceasefire Opens ‘Window of Silence’ for Zaporizhzhia Power-Line Repairs

The agency says the work aims to stabilize off-site electricity to reduce the risk of a nuclear safety incident.

Overview

  • Technicians began repairing transmission lines between the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and the nearby thermal power plant under IAEA supervision after a locally brokered pause in hostilities.
  • The repair effort, described by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi as crucial for safety, is expected to take several days.
  • The site has suffered repeated losses of external power, including a full outage on Dec. 5–6 and a Dec. 13 strike that cut grid connection for over an hour.
  • The plant remains under Russian control and has not produced electricity since 2022, while the IAEA monitoring mission on site continues to report access restrictions imposed by Russian authorities.
  • President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine are working to restart the plant, a claim not corroborated by the IAEA, as proposals for joint operation feature in peace discussions that Ukraine views skeptically.