Brokered ceasefire comes into effect for repairs at Ukraine’s occupied nuclear plant

KYIV – A local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency took effect on Sept 5 to allow repairs to restore external power to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine, the IAEA said.The plant has been without external power since Aug 20 and has relied on emergency diesel generators to cool its vital safety systems.The UN nuclear watchdog has said the facility is running low on diesel fuel and could face a station blackout within days unless power is restored or additional fuel is delivered.Ukrainian technicians were due to begin work on the damaged Ferosplavna power line after demining the area, the IAEA said.Russian forces seized ⁠the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, in the first weeks of the ​war in Ukraine in ​2022.Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev said a temporary ceasefire had come into force on the morning of Sept 5 around the plant to create conditions for the repair work, and that it was expected to last about a week.He said restoring the Ferosplavna line would not necessarily guarantee the resumption of external power supplies to the plant. He said another power line had been repaired on July 23 but had not been reconnected because of what he described as inaction by the Ukrainian authorities.Ukraine has not publicly commented on the reported ceasefire or Likhachev’s remarks.Both Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused the other during the war ⁠of ​military action that ​compromises nuclear safety. REUTERS