Satellite images: Russian power line to occupied nuclear power plants
80 kilometers of power line and 300 electric poles have been set up between the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Berdjansk along the Azovska lake. The construction began in February this year and previously there were no signs of construction work, showing The environmental organization Greenpeace’s report that was verified by New York Times.
The ongoing construction of power lines is a clear indication on Russia’s plan to connect the closed plant to the Russian electricity grid, Greenpeace says.
« This is one of the first concrete evidence that Russia is moving on with its dangerous and illegal plan to restart Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, » said Shaun Burnie, nuclear specialist at Greenpeace in a press release.
Aleksey Likhachev, CEO of Russian State Rosatom, who handles the country’s nuclear power industry, said last week that they « developed a plan to restart the nuclear power plant in Zaporizjja in full capacity » and that one of the challenges was to quickly switch the electricity network.
« Everyone dreams of restarting the plant, » he said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
The plant is close to the front lines of the war, which has aroused fears about a possible nuclear disaster. Greenpeace warns of resuming Zaporizjzja under current conditions.
Ukraine’s energy minister says in a statement that « every attempt by Russian representatives to restart reactor units can lead to unpredictable consequences, » reports the New York Times.
The Russian plan would go against US President Donald Trump’s attempt to mediate peace between Ukraine and Russia. Last month, the White House presented a peace plan for Kiev who suggested that Russia return the facility to Ukraine, but that the United States should take over the administration. According to the plan, the plant would supply electricity to both Ukraine and Russia.
Russia has dismissed the idea and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has previously told CBS that the plant is run by Rosatom and that he does not see any conceivable change on that point.
« The (facility ed. Note) is in good hands, » he said.
