MELITOPOL, February 19. /TASS/. The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant’s transition to power generation mode is possible only after a complete cessation of hostilities, despite the plant's gradual acquisition of licenses, the Zaporozhye NPP spokesperson Yevgenia Yashina told TASS.
On February 18, a ceremony was held to hand to the Zaporozhye NPP a 10-year operating license for Unit 2 from Russia’s nuclear watchdog Rostekhnadzor. Yashina previously told TASS that the document creates the legal conditions for a possible change to the unit's operating mode in the future, including in power generation mode. However, this will require an appropriate decision and unconditional fulfillment of all license requirements.
"The main and mandatory condition for the plant’s transition to power generation mode is a complete cessation of hostilities and the provision of guarantees for the plant’s physical security," Yashina said.
Previously, Zaporozhye NPP also received licenses for the operation of radiation sources, the spent nuclear fuel storage facility, and power unit No. 1.
Currently, all six power units of the Zaporozhye NPP are in cold shutdown mode and are not generating electricity. In accordance with a decree of the Russian President, all previously issued permits for the Zaporozhye NPP are valid until new licenses are obtained under Russian law. The transition period is set until January 1, 2028. Obtaining licenses is part of the program for the potential transition of the nuclear facility to power generation mode. However, the plant’s launch plan can only be implemented once military threats from Ukrainian troops are removed.