Zaporozhye Plant’s Relaunch Possible Only After Ukraine Conflict Settled - Governor
10:07 GMT 07.06.2024 (Updated: 10:21 GMT 07.06.2024)
© Sputnik / Konstantin Mihalchevskiy / Go to the mediabankAn armored vehicle leaves the territory of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), accompanying the motorcade with IAEA Director General Raphael Grossi
![An armored vehicle leaves the territory of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), accompanying the motorcade with IAEA Director General Raphael Grossi An armored vehicle leaves the territory of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), accompanying the motorcade with IAEA Director General Raphael Grossi - Sputnik International, 1920, 07.06.2024](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/04/0b/1117872276_0:113:3239:1935_1920x0_80_0_0_e6a3415537425f2d3917c9578ffaff94.jpg)
© Sputnik / Konstantin Mihalchevskiy
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ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) can only be put into operation after the end of the special military operation in Ukraine, as there are no guarantees that the nuclear facility will not be targeted by the Ukrainian armed forces until then, Zaporozhye Region Governor Yevgeny Balitsky told Sputnik.
"The work of such facilities, in my opinion, is possible only after the peace agreement is signed. Because if we launch the plant now, given their [Kiev’s] stance, they will continue to hit it both at a distance of 300 kilometers [186 miles] or 500 kilometers. It is not a problem for them," Balitsky said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The Ukrainian forces are currently shelling the area around the plant, targeting transformer substations and high-voltage power lines in the region, the official said.
Earlier in June, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear facility remained unstable and that all seven pillars of nuclear safety had been fully or partially compromised.
Located on the left bank of the Dnipro River, the Zaporozhye nuclear station is the largest nuclear facility in Europe. It came under Russia's control in early 2022 and has since been repeatedly shelled, raising safety concerns. IAEA experts have been monitoring the situation on site since the fall of 2022.
The Russian city of St. Petersburg is hosting the 27th edition of SPIEF from June 5-8. Last year, the forum drew 17,000 participants from 130 countries and saw the signing of more than 900 agreements.