The plan to connect the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) to the Russian power grid is being discussed against the background of the loss, once again, of one of the plant’s two remaining power lines following shelling.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that ZNPP had lost connection to one of its two off-site power lines, leaving it once again precariously reliant on a single power source, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
The 330 kilovolt (kV) Ferosplavnaya-1 off-site power line was disconnected allegedly due to military activity near the switchyard operated by the Zaporizhia Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP). ZNPP is still powered by the 750 kV Dniprovskaya off-site power line ensuring nuclear safety functions. Before the conflict, the ZNPP had four 750 kV and six 330 kV power lines available.
Around the time the Ferosplavnaya-1 line was disconnected, the IAEA team at the ZNPP heard explosions in the distance. They have not had access to the ZTPP switchyard in several years but were informed that lines connecting the switchyard to the ZNPP had been damaged. One of these lines had also been damaged in December 2025 and was subsequently repaired under the local ceasefire brokered by the IAEA. The IAEA has yet to be informed of an anticipated timeline for repairs but said it stands ready to negotiate another ceasefire to facilitate repairs.
ZNPP Plant Director Yuriy Chernichuk, said there are plans for possibly connecting the plant to Russia’s grid and an understanding of how to implement this project, with preparatory work underway.
“It is technically possible to bring the line from the Russian Federation. We have plans and an understanding of how to do it,” he said. “However, implementation may lead to the same problems as currently exist: the operating lines are being damaged and shut down. I repeat, it is possible to do it. The question is whether it is advisable to do it now,” he told RIA Novosti.
Meanwhile, Rosatom has dismissed Ukrainian claim it cannot run ZNPP because it lacks the necessary equipment. Pavlo Kovtoniuk, head of Ukrainian nuclear utility Energoatom had told Reuters in Kyiv that Russia lacked some equipment and spare parts to operate the plant, and risked a nuclear accident if it tried to restart the reactors.
“Rosatom categorically rejects claims that Russia lacks the equipment and components required to ensure the safe operation of the ZNPP,” Rosatom said in a statement to Reuters. “Russia operates one of the world’s largest nuclear fleets, including VVER-1000 units identical to those installed ZNPP, and has full capacity to produce equipment, components and nuclear fuel.” Rosatom said that the key issue affecting nuclear safety at the plant was continued shelling in the area.
Kovtoniuk argued that control equipment and monitoring systems at the plant were Ukrainian, that Russia would have to replace US fuel in the reactors, and that there was not enough water to cool the reactors if they were restarted.
“Insinuations implying that the plant’s systems are incompatible with Russian fuel are technically unfounded,” Rosatom said, adding that in late 2025, unit 1 had received a 10-year operating licence from Russian regulator Rostechnadzor. US-made Westinghouse Fuel is currently loaded in units 1, 3, 4 & 5 at ZNPP. These units were transitioned to US fuel as part of Ukraine’s long-term strategy to diversify away from Russian energy. Unit 5 was the first to be loaded entirely with Westinghouse fuel. Units 1, 3 & 4 contain a mix of Westinghouse and older Russian fuel assemblies. Units 2&6 still contain their original Russian-manufactured fuel cores.
Rosatom said the plant’s cooling system had never depended exclusively on the Kakhovka reservoir, adding that the cooling pond used a closed-loop system and had sufficient water. “A reserve water supply system has been established. Eleven artesian wells provide up to 270 cubic metres of water per hour, which is sufficient for cooling shutdown reactors and spent fuel pools,” it said. “A floating pumping station project is also being developed for future full-power operation.”
In other news, the training centre at ZNPP is expanding the list of personnel training programmes. In 2025, 944 station employees were trained in equipment maintenance and repair programmes. In 2026, it is planned to train 1,100 people. The training centre offers a wide range of programmes that cover all key areas of training: for operational and repair personnel, in general disciplines, advanced training and professional retraining, as well as maintaining the qualifications of licensed personnel.
Particular attention is now paid to repairmen who work directly at power units. The key training tool is a full-size simulator that simulates real conditions in detail. This makes it possible to safely practice all operations, bringing actions to automaticity. “At an operating power unit, time is always limited. Only on the simulator can you calmly analyse all the operations and correct errors,” explained the head of the technical training department, Alexey Yakushev.
