Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station is situated near the city of Enerhodar on the southern shore of the Kakhovka Reservoir along the Dnieper River. It was constructed by the Soviet Union and has been operational since the mid-1980s, with a total power output of 5,700 MWe generated by six VVER-1000 pressurized light water reactors.

From 1996 until 2022, the plant was managed by Energoatom, which oversees all other nuclear power stations in Ukraine. In 2020, the facility produced nearly half of Ukraine's nuclear-derived electricity and over 20% of the nation's total electricity output.

On 4 March 2022, during the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces took control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. As of 12 March 2022, the Russian state nuclear company Rosatom claimed authority over the facility, which has since been largely non-operational.

The plant has faced several safety concerns over the years, including a significant electrical fire in 1984 and incidents during the 2014 unrest in Ukraine. The ongoing conflict has raised alarms about nuclear safety, especially after the Russian occupation began in 2022, leading to military actions near the site and reports of damage.

As of late 2023, the plant remains in a state of cold shutdown, with one reactor kept in hot shutdown for safety purposes. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 has not posed an immediate risk to the plant, although concerns about the presence of mines and military activity around the facility persist.