Donald Trump's idea of American interests taking control of Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant contains a hidden risk for the man who conceived the deal: it will be a long time before there is even the slightest hope that the money invested will start to yield a profit.
The massive plant, which has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the invasion in 2022, faces a host of problems. Its six reactors are cold, the facility has lost its main source of cooling water, and no one knows the state of its equipment.
In a phone call on Wednesday, Mr. Trump suggested the United States could help manage Ukraine's nuclear power plants, and perhaps even take ownership of them, the administration said.
Mr Zelensky later noted that during the conversation they discussed only the Zaporizhia plant: “The president asked me if there was an understanding that America would be able to restore it, and I answered: yes, if we can modernize it, invest the funds.”
Two Ukrainian sources said the proposal could be an example of the United States testing out different ideas to see which ones will work, while Mr Trump seeks a lasting peace deal that quickly ends the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Possession”
One of the sources said the proposal also put pressure on the Russians by offering a deal in which they would hand over the plant. The Americans emphasized the situation by using the term “ownership,” the source said.
Mr Zelensky said the restoration of the plant, the largest such facility in Europe, would take two and a half years.
A former senior Ukrainian official said that “many things are possible with the Americans, but this is something completely unusual.”
“The Americans will own it – and on what basis? It belongs to Ukraine. Okay, let's hand it over to the US – but on what basis? Will they buy it? Will they accept it as a concession? Many questions.”
“A suitcase without a handle”
Kiev energy expert Alexander Kharchenko stressed that the return of the station to the Ukrainian energy system, as Kyiv demands, will be a “turning point” in electricity production not only for Ukraine, but also for Eastern and Central Europe.
The plant provided 20 percent of Ukraine's electricity before the war. Ukraine began actively exporting electricity to the EU just before the invasion, but stopped when Russia began shelling its infrastructure with missiles and drones.
Despite attempts, Moscow forces have failed to connect the facility to the Russian power grid, and it is not generating electricity.
According to Kharchenko, it will take up to a year to restart one reactor, and up to four years to restart the entire station due to various problems.
No access to water
First, the plant lost access to water from the now-empty Kakhovka Reservoir after the hydroelectric power station and dam exploded in 2023 ahead of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Since then, the nuclear facility has been receiving water from a cooler pond, but the water level continues to drop.
Engineers from the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy believe that due to the lack of water, a maximum of two of the station's six reactors will be able to be launched to generate electricity.
Moreover, they estimate that it will take at least a year to restore even these limited operations, since the technical condition of the plant is unknown.
A plant worker who escaped the occupation and is now in Kyiv told Reuters that Ukraine had drawn up a detailed action plan for the eventual return of the site.
The employee, who asked not to be named because his relatives still live under occupation, said it would not be enough for Russia to simply hand over the plant.
The worker stressed that a nearby Russian-controlled thermal power plant and nearby settlements, including the city of Energodar, as well as a road to the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhia, would also be needed.
However, for some people, like pensioner Olga Shishkina from the nearby Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhia, the plant's return one day seems likely, as it has so far brought no real benefit to the Russian side.
“For Russia, our nuclear
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
