Zaporozhye NPP gets license to operate Unit 2

SIMFEROPOL. Feb 18 (Interfax) - The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has obtained a license from the Russian nuclear oversight service Rostekhnadzor to operate Unit 2, the ZNPP said on Telegram on Wednesday.

"On February 18, 2026, the Rosatom state atomic energy corporation held a ceremony to issue a license to operate Unit 2 of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant [...] The license is valid for 10 years," it said.

The licensing procedure is a planned step in the process of the plant's integration into Russia's legal framework and consolidates the plant's "legal status as a Russian nuclear power facility," it said.

"The confirmation by Rostekhnadzor of Unit 2's operational safety attests to its compliance with the strict requirements of Russian norms and regulations on nuclear energy use and gives reasons to speak about the future development of nuclear power generation in the region," it said.

As reported, Rostekhnadzor issued the ZNPP a license to operate its dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in October 2025 and a license to operate its Unit 1 in December 2025. A major overhaul of the plant's power units is scheduled for 2026.

"We have already filed an application with Rostekhnadzor for a license to operate Unit 6's nuclear reactor and plan to file license applications for the remaining Units 3, 4, and 5 by the end of this year," the ZNPP quoted Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev as saying.

The ZNPP with six VVER-1000 reactor units is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It stopped generating electricity on September 11, 2022. All six reactors are in a cold shutdown.

All plant facilities are incorporated into the Zaporozhye NPP federal state unitary enterprise and owned by Russia. The Zaporozhye NPP Operator, founded by Rosatom's Rosenergoatom, runs the plant.