WSJ: Kremlin plans to restart Zaporizhzhia NPP

ZAES, photo: Wikipedia

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the IAEA that the Kremlin plans to restart Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian occupation. This significantly increases the risks of an incident at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Details: The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna has received technical reports written by a small group of inspectors it sent to the plant, which show that Russia aims to return Zaporizhzhia to operation as early as this year.

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According to European diplomats familiar with the matter, Russia’s goal appears to be to return at least one reactor to service. One diplomat said Russia could do so by the 40th anniversary of the plant’s connection to the Soviet Union’s power grid in December.

The head of the IAEA, Raphael Grossi, visited the Russian resort of Sochi last month to meet with Putin and the head of the Moscow nuclear company Rosatom. Grossi asked if the station would be restarted, according to people familiar with the discussions. Putin said that it would definitely happen. Russian officials have not disclosed plans or timelines.

The WSJ believes that restarting the reactor at the ZNPP will be a technical challenge and a symbolic milestone for Russia, “normalizing” the seizure of the plant, which provided about a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity until 2022.

The Wall Street Journal spoke to many people who worked at the station, who doubt that Russia has enough technicians to do it safely and successfully. It would also create a new security threat that is already so serious that the IAEA’s board of directors held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the recent drone attacks.