Rosatom repair crews have repaired the 330 kV Ferosplavnaya-1 off-site high-voltage power line serving the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) a day earlier than planned.
The line had been cut on 10 February as a result of shelling at the switchyard operated by the Zaporizhia Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP). The work, which began on 27 February, was completed during a ceasefire brokered by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi.
IAEA reported that, for 23 days, ZNPP had solely relied on the 750 kV Dneprovskaya off‑site power line to sustain all essential nuclear safety functions. Before the conflict, the ZNPP had four 750 kV and six 330 kV power lines available.
Preparatory works, including de-mining activities, first took place before the work began. IAEA said that, following this necessary step, the IAEA team at the ZNPP was able to visit the switchyard and observe damage to various electrical components such as breakers, disconnectors, current transformers and cable segments. The repairs were monitored daily by the IAEA team and were completed after the systematic replacement or refurbishment of key components reusing other parts of the switchyard.
“Off-site power lines to the ZNPP were disconnected on multiple occasions over the past three months, including two total losses of off-site power, bringing the total to 12 since the start of the war,” Director General Grossi said. “These repeated outages underline the importance of maintaining secure off-site power.”
The Ferosplavnaya‑1 power line normally delivers back-up electricity to the ZNPP from the ZTPP switchyard through two separate lines. Recent damage to key components in the 330 kV switchyard prevented restoration of both of these lines, therefore repair efforts were focused on restoring the line that connects the 330 kV ZTPP switchyard to the ZNPP autotransformer in the 750 kV switchyard – a line previously repaired under an IAEA‑negotiated ceasefire in December 2025. IAEA noted that, with reduced independence in the plant’s back-up power options, IAEA will work closely with the ZNPP to identify a solution for full restoration of the back-up power source.
Integration with Russian energy system
Meanwhile, as part of the Russian-instigated transition of ZNPP to the management standards of nuclear utility Rosenergoatom, IT functions at ZNPP have come under the jurisdiction of the company CONSIST-OS, part of Rosatom’s Electric Power Division.
Ilya Kholkin, CONSIST-OS Director General, emphasised that the company has significant experience in operating automated production control systems at Russian NPPs, which will become the basis for long-term and productive cooperation with ZNPP.
