Moscow Planning to Connect Occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant to Russian Grid

Russia is building power lines to connect the temporarily occupied Zaporozhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (Zaporizhzhia NPP) to its power grid.

Satellite imagery shows Russia building over 55 miles of electricity lines and pylons since February to connect the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to occupied territory in Ukraine’s south, according to a report released today from Greenpeace.

Based on an analysis of satellite imagery, Greenpeace predicts the power lines will eventually connect occupied Mariupol (Donetsk region) to occupied Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia region).

The Zaporizhzhia NPP has been shut down since it was seized by the Russians in March 2022, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned against restarting the plant for fear of causing a nuclear disaster in an active combat zone.  

The plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and Europe, has six nuclear reactors, and an electricity generation capacity of 5.7 gigawatts (GW) of energy.  

The plant has been heavily mined by the Russians, making its liberation by Ukraine a risky venture. Greenpeace warns that restarting the plant is dangerous for nuclear safety because the plant is understaffed, critical equipment is in a “dilapidated condition,” and there is only one external power transmission line, according to the same report.    

Similarly, the destruction of the Khakova dam in 2023 deprived the plant of the water source needed to cool its reactors and spent fuel rods. 

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In recent rounds of negotiations, the US has proposed directly administering the Zaporizhzhia NPP, but Russia has rejected this proposal.  

Control of the plant is critical for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and nuclear power supplied over half of Ukraine’s energy before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.