Repair crews restore line to Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine

Repair crews have restored an external line to the ​Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern ​Ukraine nearly a month after ‌it ​was taken out of operation, the head of Russia's nuclear energy corporation said on Thursday. Alexei Likhachev, director general of Rosatom, said in ‌a statement made public by the company that repairs to the Ferosplavna-1 line connecting the plant to the power grid were completed late on Thursday afternoon.

The repair operation, he said, was completed one ‌day ahead of schedule at the plant, Europe's largest nuclear plant with six reactors. It ‌was seized by Russia soon after Moscow's troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The statement said Likhachev "wanted personally to thank our specialists, who completed the task ahead of schedule and did so while working round the clock in conditions ⁠of ​constant stress."

A second external ⁠line had remained in operation throughout the work. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.'s ⁠nuclear watchdog, confirmed the line had been restored, saying its completion "strengthens nuclear safety and security".

There was no immediate ​comment from Ukraine. The line went down on February 10 and Grossi said at the time ⁠that the incident was caused reportedly by "military activity". Repairs were carried out under a ceasefire brokered by the IAEA.

The ⁠Zaporizhzhia ​plant is not producing electricity and relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and avoid a catastrophic accident. Russia and Ukraine frequently accuse each other of jeopardising safety at ⁠the plant by staging attacks nearby. A similar truce was set up last year when ⁠both power lines went down ⁠for weeks and the site had to rely on diesel generators.

The question of who should control and operate the plant is one of ‌the contentious ‌issues in U.S.-mediated peace talks.