Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant: High-risk power struggle at heart of peace talks

The fate of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has emerged as one of the most sensitive and dangerous issues in efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) is now a central sticking point in a broader peace framework outlined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussed with US President Donald Trump in Florida on December 28.

Beyond questions of sovereignty, the plant embodies overlapping concerns about energy security, nuclear safety and geopolitical leverage, France24 writes. 

Competing plans for control

Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in March 2022 and later announced plans to connect it to Russia’s power grid. While almost all countries recognise the facility as Ukrainian, Moscow insists it is Russian property, operated by a subsidiary of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Zelenskyy said in December that Washington had proposed a trilateral management arrangement, involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States, with an American chief manager overseeing operations. According to Zelenskyy, Kyiv’s counter-proposal envisions joint Ukrainian-American use of the facility, with the US determining how to use 50% of the electricity generated. Russia, meanwhile, has floated the idea of joint Russian-US use, according to the Kommersant newspaper.

After meeting Zelenskyy, Trump said negotiators had made progress on deciding the fate of the plant, which could “start up almost immediately.” He added that “it’s a big step” that Russia had not bombed the facility.

A plant in limbo

Located in Enerhodar on the Dnipro River, around 550 kilometres southeast of Kyiv, the Zaporizhzhia plant has six Soviet-designed reactors with a combined capacity of 5.7 gigawatts, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Despite its size, it is currently not producing electricity and relies on external power to keep nuclear material cool and prevent a meltdown.

Electricity is still supplied from Ukraine, but over the past four years power lines have been cut at least 11 times, forcing repeated switches to emergency diesel generators. Both sides accuse each other of shelling the plant and damaging critical infrastructure. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has warned that fighting near the facility has placed nuclear safety and security in constant jeopardy.

Russia’s station chief said on December 29 that power generation could resume by mid-2027 if the war ends soon.

Why Moscow wants it

Russian officials say any restart depends on security conditions. Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev has not ruled out supplying electricity from Zaporizhzhia to parts of Ukraine. Analysts in Kyiv argue the plant could help offset a major power deficit in southern Russia. In December, Russia’s nuclear regulator licensed reactor No. 1 for operation, a move Ukraine’s energy ministry condemned as illegal and reckless.

Why Kyiv needs it

Ukraine’s energy system has been devastated by sustained Russian strikes, leaving a generation shortfall of about 4 gigawatts—roughly the output of four Zaporizhzhia reactors. Experts estimate it would take five to seven years for Ukraine to replace that capacity if the plant were permanently lost.

Even if Kyiv regained control, restoring the facility would be slow. Ukrainian officials say they do not know its true condition, and warn that repairs and inspections could take years.

A further unresolved threat is water. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in 2023 drained the reservoir that supplied cooling water to the plant. Falling water levels now endanger both reactors and spent fuel pools, where evaporating water could raise temperatures and risk fire—echoing the dangers seen at Fukushima in 2011.

By Sabina Mammadli