After returning ZNPP to Ukraine’s control, it will take two years to restart it - Kotin
In case of regaining control over ZNPP, it will take two years to launch it.
According to Censor.NET, citing the company's press service, this was stated by the acting chairman of the board of Energoatom Petro Kotin in an interview with The Guardian.
"Restarting the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant under Russian control will be dangerous. And it will take Ukraine up to two years in peacetime to regain control of the plant," said the head of the six-unit nuclear power plant operator.
Petro Kotin, the head of Energoatom, emphasized in an interview that there are "serious problems" that need to be solved before safe electricity production at the plant can be restored: insufficient cooling water, personnel, and incoming power supply.
The future of Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, is an important aspect of any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Seized by Russia in the spring of 2022 and shut down for security reasons a few months later, it remains on the front lines of the conflict, near the Dnipro River.
What Russia says about its control over ZNPP
Russia has indicated that it intends to retain control of the facility and restart it, without specifying when exactly. Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia's nuclear operator Rosatom, said in February that the plant would be restarted when "military and political conditions allow."
What is the US position on ZNPP?
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has expressed interest in taking control of this facility, although this possibility is considered very remote.
Energoatom on restarting the plant
Petro Kotin emphasized that Energoatom is ready to restart the plant, but it is necessary to withdraw Russian troops, demine and demilitarize the site.
He noted that the six reactors can be put into operation only after the completion of 27 safety programs agreed with the Ukrainian nuclear regulator, including nuclear fuel testing programs in the reactor core, as the six-year "design life" of the fuel in the reactors has expired.
This raises questions about whether Russia will be able to restart the plant without significant risk after the ceasefire.
According to Petro Kotin, the situation at the plant is already dangerous, given that the plant was used as a "military base with the location of military equipment" and "with the possible deployment of weapons and explosives."
Earlier, IAEA Director General Grossi said that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine could resume operations within a few months after the ceasefire, but that it would take more than a year to restart all six of its reactors.
