Russia Initiates Power Line Construction to Revive Captured Ukrainian Nuclear Facility

Russia is constructing new power lines to reconnect and reactivate the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which it took control of from Ukraine in 2022, according to a report by the New York Times citing Greenpeace.

The facility, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, was seized by Russian forces in the initial stages of the full-scale invasion and all six of its reactors were gradually deactivated by 2023.

Reportedly, President Vladimir Putin informed the head of the UN’s nuclear regulatory body last year that Russia would «certainly» resume operations at the plant. Recently, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev indicated that upgrading the power infrastructure was one of four essential steps required before the plant could function again.

Satellite images acquired by Greenpeace and reviewed by the New York Times reveal that Russia is constructing approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) of new electric lines and pylons from the occupied port city of Berdyansk to Mariupol, where a substantial substation has been linked to the Zaporizhzhia power plant situated further west.

«This is the initial concrete indication of… Putin’s intentions to restart the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility,» stated Shaun Burnie, a nuclear expert with Greenpeace Ukraine.

Prior to the conflict, the 6-gigawatt power plant was connected to Ukraine’s electrical grid through four 750-kilovolt lines—two passing through areas controlled by Ukraine and two through occupied regions. The latter have sustained damage due to ongoing fighting.

Experts informed the New York Times that at least one of the lines may have been restored, but achieving complete integration would «require time.»

Burnie also mentioned that Russia could potentially link the plant to its own electrical grid in the southern Rostov region, which borders Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk territories.

In the meantime, Russian-appointed officials are retraining the staff of the plant in anticipation of bringing the facility back to full operational capacity.