Local ceasefire opens narrow window for repairs at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

A local ceasefire brokered with the involvement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) came into effect on 5 September to allow repairs to a power line supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. For Europe’s largest nuclear facility, the arrangement creates another narrow opportunity to restore external electricity supplies that are essential for maintaining the plant’s safety systems.

The Zaporizhzhia plant has been under Russian control since March 2022. On 20 August, it lost its last available external power connection, the 330-kilovolt Ferosplavna-1 line. Since then, critical systems at the site have relied on emergency diesel generators, increasing concerns over the plant’s resilience if the external connection cannot be restored.

A few days instead of stability

The IAEA has warned that the plant’s diesel fuel reserves are being depleted and that restoring external power or securing additional fuel is becoming increasingly urgent. Even though all six reactors remain shut down, electricity is still required to maintain cooling and other essential safety systems, including those serving spent fuel storage.

Ukrainian repair teams are expected to work on the damaged line once the relevant area has been cleared of mines. IAEA personnel are monitoring the process, while the ceasefire provides a limited period during which engineers can operate without the immediate risk of renewed fighting.

The head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said the arrangement could last for around a week. Moscow has also indicated that repairing the particular power line would not necessarily mean that the plant’s external electricity supply would immediately be restored.

The latest agreement is reportedly the seventh local ceasefire facilitated by the IAEA around the plant since the beginning of the full-scale war. Its repeated use underlines how dependent nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia has become on temporary arrangements between the warring sides rather than on a stable security environment.

Nuclear safety remains tied to the war

The situation at Zaporizhzhia illustrates one of the most difficult aspects of the war in Ukraine: even when the reactors are not generating electricity, the plant remains a critical energy and nuclear infrastructure site. Its safety depends not only on the condition of the reactors but also on access to external power, fuel, maintenance crews and safe routes for personnel operating near the frontline.

The IAEA has maintained a permanent presence at the plant since September 2022 and has repeatedly stressed the importance of preserving external electricity supplies. The agency has also called on all sides to avoid actions that could compromise nuclear safety.

Each new disruption around the plant nevertheless creates the possibility that an infrastructure failure could develop into a wider safety crisis. In wartime conditions, repairing a power line is no longer simply an engineering task. The surrounding area must be cleared of mines, a ceasefire must hold and the work itself has to take place under international observation.

A European security issue

Zaporizhzhia remains Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and one of the clearest examples of how the war has transformed the continent’s understanding of nuclear security. The seizure of the facility by Russian forces turned a civilian nuclear installation into part of the military confrontation, while the IAEA has increasingly been required to act as an intermediary to maintain basic safety conditions.

The September ceasefire does not resolve that structural problem. It creates an opportunity to restore one component of the infrastructure required for the plant’s safe operation. If the repairs are completed successfully, they could reduce the immediate risk associated with a complete loss of external power, but they will not eliminate the possibility of another interruption.

For Europe, the episode is another reminder that nuclear safety remains directly connected to the military situation in Ukraine. As long as the plant remains in a war zone without guaranteed access to a stable external power network, an infrastructure failure can require international diplomatic intervention.