Nuclear Agency Brokers a Local Truce to Repair Power Line at Zaporizhzhia Plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday that it had negotiated a temporary local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to allow repairs to a power supply line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Al Jazeera reported. The station, in southern Ukraine and under Russian control, is the largest in Europe, and concerns over its safety have persisted throughout the war.

The agency's director general, Rafael Grossi, said the truce was the sixth since late last year. The 750-kilovolt Dniprovska line had been disconnected for more than two months, leaving the plant dependent on a single backup line to power the systems that cool its six shut-down reactors. On several recent occasions the plant lost that connection and relied on emergency diesel generators, according to repair updates. Crews began work after clearing mines from the area around the line.

A nuclear plant that cannot reliably cool its reactors carries the risk of a serious accident, which is why both sides have repeatedly agreed to narrow, technical pauses even as the broader war continues. The repeated need for these pauses underscores how fragile the situation remains.