Ukraine working to restart two reactors, says governor

A Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in territory under Russian military control in May. Pic/AP

Ukraine is trying to resume operations at two reactors at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said on Friday.

"The technicians worked and restored electricity supply and currently the sixth block is at 10per cent capacity. The fifth block is - according to our information - in the process of being restored," Starukh said. One of the six reactors was reconnected to the Ukrainian grid later, state nuclear company Energoatom said.

A Russian-installed official said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had broken the final power line connecting the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant with Ukraine, state-owned news agency TASS reported. TASS quoted Vladimir Rogov, a member of Russian-backed local administration, saying the plant is currently not supplying electricity to Ukraine.

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On Thursday, Ukraine's state nuclear energy company said that the plant's six reactors had been disconnected from the national grid, and President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian shelling. Zelensky said the world narrowly avoided a radiation disaster as electricity to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was cut for hours due to Russian shelling in the area, allegations Moscow denied.

A mission from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to visit the plant next week Ukrainian officials said on Friday. Lana Zerkal, adviser to Ukraine's energy minister, told Ukrainian media on Thursday evening logistical issues are being worked out for the IAEA team to come to the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is occupied by Russian forces and run by Ukrainian workers since early days of the six-month-old war. Zerkal accused Russia of
trying to sabotage the visit.

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