Ceasefire Takes Effect Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant To Enable Repair Work

ISTANBUL, June 5 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- A localized ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) took effect Friday near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, paving the way for repairs to a key external power line damaged during the Ukraine war, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

The IAEA said technicians from both sides will begin work on the 750-kilovolt Dniprovska power line in the coming days following extensive demining operations in the area.

The line has been out of service for more than two months, leaving Europe's largest nuclear power plant dependent on a single 330-kilovolt backup connection to provide the electricity needed to cool its six reactors, the agency said in a statement shared on the social media platform X.

That remaining line has also been disrupted several times in recent weeks, forcing the facility to switch to emergency diesel generators, according to the IAEA.

Repair efforts have been complicated by the location of the damaged infrastructure, including high-voltage pylons situated across the front line along the Dnipro River.

The ceasefire marks the sixth arrangement negotiated by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi between Russia and Ukraine since late 2025 to support nuclear safety and maintain off-site power supplies.

Grossi said both sides had "engaged constructively" during weeks of "sensitive and complex talks".

"The IAEA will continue to do everything it can to help protect people and the environment from the risk of a nuclear accident that would benefit absolutely no one and only add further to wartime devastation and suffering," he said.

--BERNAMA-ANADOLU