Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could restart months after ceasefire, IAEA chief says

A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant before the arrival of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert mission in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo

VIENNA (Reuters) - The Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine could come back online within months of a ceasefire, but it would probably take more than a year to restart all six reactors, the U.N. atomic watchdog chief said on Wednesday.

Russian forces took over Europe's biggest nuclear power plant a week after invading Ukraine. Zaporizhzhia, now near the front line, provided 20% of Ukraine's power output before the war. All its reactors are shut down as war rages around it and threatens to cause a potentially catastrophic accident.