VIENNA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Crucial power line repairs have begun near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) following a local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the IAEA said on social media platform X on Sunday.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed gratitude to both Russia and Ukraine for agreeing to the temporary truce, describing it as a "window of silence" that would allow the restoration of power transmission between the switchyards of the ZNPP and the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant. He said the work would help strengthen nuclear safety at the site.
The IAEA said its team is monitoring the repair work as part of ongoing efforts to prevent a nuclear accident amid the military conflict. According to the agency, the repairs are expected to take several days.
On Dec. 15, power transmission between the ZNPP switchyard and the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant switchyard through the autotransformer became unavailable, significantly reducing the flexibility and resilience of the site's electrical configuration. An investigation conducted by the ZNPP identified damage to the transmission line between the autotransformer and the thermal power plant switchyard, reportedly caused by military activity. ■
