Overview
- Russia says its regulator has licensed reactor No. 1 at the Russian‑controlled Zaporizhzhia plant, while Rosatom outlines gradual preparation for future power generation.
- Ukraine’s energy ministry calls the Russian license illegal and dangerous, demands all units stay in cold shutdown, and urges tougher sanctions on Rosatom and Russian regulators.
- The IAEA warns nuclear safety at the site remains precarious and says the six reactors cannot be restarted during ongoing hostilities, with cooling and external power reliability still in question after repeated outages.
- Competing governance ideas remain unresolved: reports describe a U.S. proposal for trilateral operation with an American manager, a Russian concept for U.S.–Russia joint use, and a Ukrainian plan for a 50‑50 venture with the U.S.
- Russian officials and media report U.S. interest in channeling potential plant electricity to commercial users such as data centers and crypto mining, a claim not independently confirmed and contingent on security and a restart.