MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. Russia will be looking for an opportunity to render the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) functional again in 2024, Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russian state nuclear power operator Rosatom, told Rossiya-24 television
"No matter how hard it is, we have been ensuring the safe operation of the nuclear facility. I think, next year, as the situation unfolds, we will be looking for an opportunity to restart this facility (ZNPP — TASS)," he said.
Likhachev also pointed out that there is no alternative to the safe use of the plant. "We are confident in the position of the Russian military and the Defense Ministry, the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya). And we are confident in our employees present there," the Rosatom CEO added.
The ZNPP, located in Energodar, has six power units with a total capacity of 6 GW. It is Europe‘s largest nuclear power generating facility. At the end of February 2022, the facility was taken over by Russian forces. Since then, Ukrainian army units have periodically shelled both residential areas in Energodar and the plant itself using drones, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers.