Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Back Online After IAEA-Brokered Local Ceasefire Enables Repairs

June 13 (Reuters) — Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia ‌Nuclear ‌Power Plant was reconnected to the main power grid on Saturday after a localized ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency allowed repair crews to restore off-site power lines, which had been down for nearly three days, the IAEA said.

The plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has been held by Russian forces since early in the war and has repeatedly lost external power due to shelling and infrastructure damage, raising international fears of a radiation disaster. The latest outage, which began Wednesday, forced the plant to rely on emergency diesel generators for essential cooling and safety systems. The IAEA’s Director General Rafael Grossi welcomed the temporary truce, which enabled technicians to safely repair damaged lines without active combat in the immediate vicinity.

While the reconnection eases immediate safety concerns, the underlying risks remain acute. The plant continues to operate under military control, and the IAEA has long called for a demilitarized safety zone around the facility. “Each time we roll the dice, and each time we have been lucky so far,” Grossi said earlier this week, warning that continued fighting near the plant is unsustainable. The agency’s staff remain stationed at the site to monitor conditions.

(Reporting by Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Editing by Louise Heavens)