Rosatom says Zaporizhzhia thermal plant needs repairs, seeks IAEA truce
In short
Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said the Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant switched to emergency diesel generators after a transformer was damaged, and that Ukrainian forces had shelled the site for two weeks. He said Rosatom told the IAEA on 30 September that repair work was needed and a temporary silence regime should be established, with the parameters of the truce still being agreed. The documents carry no response from Ukraine or the IAEA.
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The head of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said the Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant has switched to emergency diesel generators after a transformer was damaged, Interfax reported. Likhachev told journalists that Ukrainian forces had “systematically shelled” the plant over the previous two weeks, describing it as the second energy facility in Energodar. [ 2 ]
According to Likhachev, the electrical equipment at the thermal plant redirects electricity from the “Ferrosplavnaya” high-voltage lines to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and the safety of the nuclear station depends directly on it. He said the transformer feeding that equipment was damaged two weeks earlier and that emergency diesel generators have kept the critical systems operating since then. [ 2 ]
Likhachev said Rosatom informed the IAEA on 30 September that repair work was needed and that a temporary silence regime should be established, adding that the parameters of the temporary truce are still being agreed. RIA Novosti reported the notification in its headline, saying it concerned the need for repairs at the plant, while Interfax quoted Likhachev as referring to the need for work there. [ 1 , 2 ]
Both accounts rest on Rosatom's statements, and the Interfax report is the only document here that carries Likhachev's remarks in full. The documents contain no comment from Ukraine, the IAEA or the operators of the plants, and no independent confirmation of the reported shelling or of the damage to the transformer. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
According to Likhachev, the thermal plant hosts equipment that routes power from high-voltage lines to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, so its condition bears on the nuclear station's safety. A temporary truce around the site would be an agreed pause in fighting over energy infrastructure, but the documents say the terms are still being negotiated and give no indication of when or whether they will be settled.
Key facts
- Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said the Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant switched to emergency diesel generators after a transformer was damaged. [ 2 ]
- Likhachev said Ukrainian forces had systematically shelled the thermal plant over the previous two weeks, describing it as the second energy facility in Energodar. [ 2 ]
- Likhachev said equipment at the thermal plant redirects electricity from the “Ferrosplavnaya” high-voltage lines to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and that the nuclear station's safety depends directly on it. [ 2 ]
- A transformer feeding that equipment was damaged two weeks earlier and emergency diesel generators have powered the critical systems since, according to Likhachev. [ 2 ]
- Rosatom informed the IAEA that repair work was needed at the Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Likhachev said the notification was made on 30 September and also covered the need to establish a temporary silence regime, with the parameters of the temporary truce still being agreed. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The parameters of the temporary silence regime around the Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant. Interfax quotes Likhachev saying the parameters of the temporary truce are being agreed, but gives no terms, participants or timing, and the documents do not say whether any agreement has been reached.
- The cause of the damage to the transformer and the reported shelling of the plant. Both are stated only by Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev in the Interfax report; the documents carry no comment from Ukraine, the IAEA or plant operators and no independent confirmation.
- The scope of the work needed at the plant. RIA Novosti's headline refers to the need for repairs, while Interfax refers to the need for work to be carried out; neither document details what the work involves.