Move comes as Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for talks on future of six-unit facility near frontline
Russia’s nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has issued a 10-year operating licence for Unit 2 at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which has been under Russian military control since soon after Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said that obtaining the licence confirms that the power unit’s equipment, safety systems, and personnel qualifications fully comply with the strict requirements of Russian nuclear energy standards and regulations.
It added that Rostekhnadzor’s backing of the operational safety of the unit paves the way for the future development of nuclear power generation in the region.
An application has been submitted to Rostekhnadzor for an operating licence for Unit 6 and Rosatom aims to submit similar applications by the end of 2026 for units 3, 4, and 5.
The announcement came after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had asked his country’s negotiators to discuss the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station during peace talks in Geneva that took place this week. It was not clear if the planned talks on Zaporizhzhia had taken place.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Europe’s largest, is one of the main sticking points in US president Donald Trump’s peace plan to end the four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
US officials previously said the sharing of power produced by the plant would be a critical part of any agreement reached.
In December Zelenskyy proposed that Ukraine would receive 50% of the electricity output from Zaporizhzhia under a 20-point peace plan that offered concessions to Russia in an effort to end the conflict in Ukraine.
As part of Zelenskyy’s plan, the Ukrainian government has proposed Ukraine would receive 50% of the electricity output from Zaporizhzhia and the US would control the other 50% of the plant and determine how to divide up its assets, CNN reported.
Kyiv Says Zaporizhzhia Is ‘Sovereign Territory’
Zelenskyy was said to have rejected the previous proposal, in which the US, Ukraine and Russia would split the joint venture three ways, with each country obtaining 33% of the plant’s output.
“It is clear that for Ukraine this sounds very unsuccessful and not entirely realistic. How can you have joint commerce with the Russians after everything?” Zelenksyy said in an interview with NBC.
Ukraine insists Zaporizhzhia is sovereign territory under illegal occupation. Russia claims ownership and operational control through its state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
Zaporizhzhia’s six reactors have not produced electricity for more than three years and are all shut down. But it still needs electricity to power the pumps used for cooling its reactor cores and spent fuel and to avoid a meltdown with a possible radioactive release.
Existing licences issued before the war by Ukrainian nuclear regulator Energoatom were temporarily recognised – and extended where necessary by Russia – pending its regulator issuing licences, Rosatom said.
Since soon after the invasion 2022 there have been teams of International Atomic Energy Agency experts stationed at Zaporizhzhia as part of efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security at the site, close to the frontline of fighting in southeast Ukraine.
Russia is risking a catastrophic nuclear disaster by preparing to restart Unit 1 at Zaporizhzhia, the head of Energoatom said.
Pavlo Kovtonyuk, acting chief executive officer of Energoatom, accused the Kremlin of “nuclear terrorism” and “waging war on civilians” in its attacks on substations vital to the safe running of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
Pavlo Kovtonyuk, acting chief executive officer of Energoatom, has criticised Russian plans to restart Unit 1 at Zaporizhzhia. Courtesy Energoatom.
