Second external power line restored at Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

A second external power line to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been restored, the station's Russian operators were quoted as saying on Saturday.

The plant - Europe's largest, with six reactors - was seized by Russian troops in the first weeks of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of military actions that compromise nuclear safety. The plant currently produces no electricity, but needs external power to cool the nuclear fuel and avoid the risk of a meltdown.

The station's Russian operators, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said the second line known as Ferosplavna-1 was reconnected on Saturday. They said the completed action "significantly increases the stability of the station's power system". The line had been down since May 7.

The first Dniprovska line was restored on October 23. With both lines out of operation, the plant had been without external power links for 30 days and relied on diesel generators. Fighting nearby had prevented emergency crews from carrying out repair work, prompting the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency to help arrange local ceasefires. The latest ceasefire took effect on Friday.