Ukraine sends note to IAEA over Russia’s intention to connect Zaporizhzhia NPP to its power grid

The relevant statement was made by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna Yurii Vitrenko in a commentary to Ukrinform.

“In this regard, we sent a verbal note to the IAEA Secretariat with a request to distribute it as an information circular to all Member States. The note emphasizes that such actions by Russia are a gross violation of international law and an encroachment on the sovereignty of Ukraine. All nuclear facilities on the territory of Ukraine, including Zaporizhzhia NPP, fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has not issued any permit, technical opinion or license for any such infrastructure or operational changes,” Vitrenko said, commenting on a message from Greenpeace on a power transmission line being constructed by Russians to potentially restart Zaporizhzhia NPP.

As emphasized by Vitrenko, the construction of the above power transmission line is “clear evidence of Russia’s intentions to arbitrarily restart Zaporizhzhia NPP, a facility that remains the sovereign property of Ukraine.”

“Any commissioning of Zaporizhzhia NPP without the express permission of the Ukrainian nuclear regulator is illegal and poses an immediate and unacceptable threat to nuclear safety,” Vitrenko stressed.

The note sent to the IAEA emphasizes that this risk is further increased by Russia’s apparent intention to disconnect Zaporizhzhia NPP from Ukraine’s energy system after the construction of the new power transmission line is completed. It also indicates that this would deprive the plant of access to its only legitimate and previously authorized external power supply sources, i.e. 750kW Dniprovska and 330kW Ferosplavna-1 lines.

“Any deliberate disconnection of these Ukrainian power lines – amid the ongoing military occupation, the absence of qualified personnel and independent regulatory oversight – would significantly increase the risk of emergency situations, involving the loss of external power supply, and would critically undermine the reliability of reactor safety systems. Furthermore, any modifications to the nuclear infrastructure without an independent assessment and without the involvement of the national regulator directly violate IAEA safety standards, in particular those related to modifications to nuclear facilities,” the note reads.

Moreover, the lack of technical transparency, licensed and experienced personnel, as well as the militarization of the Zaporizhzhia NPP site, further deteriorate the overall security situation, which creates “systemic risks not only for Ukraine, but also for the entire region and beyond.”

Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov