Rosatom has a plan to bring the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) to full capacity, and it is currently being approved, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev told Russia’s Federation Council (upper house). “We have developed a plan for bringing Zaporizhia NPP to full capacity. The plan is similar to interagency approvals from the regulators of the Ministry of Energy”, he said.
He added that, in order to bring ZNPP to full capacity, it is necessary to solve four main tasks: restoration of water supply, replacement of power grids, restoration of railway infrastructure, and also it is necessary to solve the problem of American fuel.
Russia took control of the six-unit ZNPP in March 2022 and the following September a referendum was held in Zaporozhye region in which according to Russian officials of the Central Election Commission 93.11% (of 541,093 voters) favoured joining the Russian Federation on a turnout of 85.4%. On 5 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree formally transferring ZNPP to Russian jurisdiction under nuclear utility Rosenergoatom (part of Rosatom). A Russian Federal State Unitary Enterprise, JSC Zaporizhia NPP, was established by Rosenergoatom to operate the plant. All six ZNPP reactors are currently in cold shutdown.
Russia is reportedly completing the construction of a new power transmission line to the ZNPP. According to the former adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Pyotr Andryushchenko, the new transmission line passing through the Mariupol district and connecting the NPP with Russia is almost ready. A distribution hub with a compressor station has been constructed at one of the sites, which is an important element for ensuring stable energy supply.
Andryushchenko told Inosmi that the process of connecting the station to the Russian network could be completed within a few weeks. This could be part of a broader strategy aimed at eventually using the plant to provide electricity to Donbass or even to supply energy to Russia. A new highway through the Mariupol region plays a key role in the implementation of these plans, providing the infrastructure for electricity transmission.
Yuriy Korolchuk, an expert at the Institute of Energy Strategies, told Inosmi that connecting ZNPP to the Russian energy system is technically feasible and does not present significant difficulties. All that is needed is to lay a main power transmission line, which will ensure a stable connection and transmission of electricity.
He noted that previously there was a power transmission line that connected ZNPP with the Crimea, but it was damaged. He believes that from a geographical and technical point of view, it is more expedient to lay a new transmission line to ensure the station’s integration into the Russian energy system. Such an approach, in his opinion, would allow Russia to balance energy flows within its system and use the electricity that could potentially be produced by ZNPP.
Korolchuk noted that Crimea is a surplus region, which is able to produce more electricity than it consumes, so it makes no sense to send energy from the ZNPP there. “On the other hand, electricity from the ZNPP could be sent to Zaporizhia, Kherson or Donetsk regions, which Russia calls the ‘new territories’ “.
However, Russian experts acknowledge that it is likely to be several years before ZNPP can be restarted, given the upgrading and repairs and licensing that will be required. They have debunked Ukrainain reports that there are plans to restart the plant in the coming months,
Meanwhile, the plant press service has reported that the 28th rotation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors has taken place despite heavy artillery shelling from Ukraine. A few days earlier, the IAEA, in its latest update said gunfire had been heard at ZNPP at the same time as a purported drone attack on the site’s training centre. It was the third time this year that the training centre, located just outside the site perimeter, was reportedly targeted by such an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The ZNPP told the IAEA team that the drone hit the roof of the training centre, without causing any casualties or major damage. It was not immediately known whether the drone had directly struck the building or whether it crashed on the structure after being shot down, ZNPP said.
