NYT: The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is a major stumbling block to peace in Ukraine

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is a “serious stumbling block” in negotiations on resolving the Ukraine conflict, because the facility will be “decisive” for Ukraine’s recovery.

The New York Times writes this.

The newspaper notes that both Russia and Ukraine currently want to control the plant. Both countries view it as a vital energy asset because of its enormous generating capacity of six gigawatts—enough “to supply electricity to a medium-sized country such as Portugal,” the NYT writes. For Ukraine, the plant is important because it is “of paramount importance for the country’s energy independence in the postwar period,” the outlet notes.

“Before the conflict, the power plant provided about a quarter of the country’s electricity needs. According to energy experts, its generating capacity will be essential for supporting reconstruction efforts,” the article says.

The plant could also supply power to data centers needed for Ukraine’s postwar recovery, the NYT adds.

Moscow, meanwhile, intends to restart the reactors and feed electricity “into its own power grid.” According to experts, Russia could use the plant to supply electricity to the newly acquired regions, the outlet writes.

The United States also views the facility “as an opportunity to advance American economic interests as part of a peace agreement,” the NYT notes.

The question of who controls the Zaporizhzhia plant is one of the main contentious points in a peace plan to end the conflict. The United States proposes that Ukraine, the United States, and Russia jointly manage the plant on a “33%–33%–33%” basis. Ukraine insists that only the United States and Ukraine should operate the plant, in a 50%–50% split. A second key unresolved issue is territory.