A "localized ceasefire" brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) took effect on the frontline near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine on Friday to allow for the repair of a key power line, the agency said.
The Zaporizhzhya plant in south-eastern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It was seized by Russian forces shortly after the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The plant has been repeatedly damaged in the war, sparking fears of a nuclear accident. While the reactors have been shut down as a precaution, they still need power for cooling.
"In work monitored by IAEA experts, technicians from both sides will in coming days start repairing war-related damage to the 750 kilovolt (kV) Dniprovska power line following extensive de-mining of the area," the IAEA said in a post on social media platform X.
"The 750 kV power line was disconnected more than two months ago, leaving Europe’s largest NPP entirely reliant on a single 330 kV line for the electricity it needs to cool its six shutdown reactors. In recent weeks, the ZNPP has several times lost access also to this line, forcing it to start operating its emergency diesel generators as a last resort."
According to the agency, this was the sixth temporary ceasefire negotiated by agency chief Rafael Grossi.
"This time, preparations for the repairs have been complicated by the location of the power line damage: on top of high pylons across the line of control in the Dnipro River," the agency said.
Grossi said that Moscow and Kiev "engaged constructively with the IAEA during weeks of sensitive and complex talks, with both sides agreeing to cease fire for the sake of nuclear safety," the agency said.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the plant.
