United Nations: Ukraine Nuclear Plant Lost External Power, Relying on Emergency Generators

It was reported on Oct. 8th, 2022, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Saturday that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, had lost its last remaining external power source after another shelling and is now relying on emergency diesel generators.

The plant’s connection to a 750-kilovolt line was cut off at about 1 a.m. on Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. IAEA cited official information from Ukraine as well as reports from IAEA experts at the site, saying that the site was controlled by Russia’s forces.

All six of the plant’s reactors were shut down, but they still need electricity for cooling and other safety functions. The IAEA said that plant engineers had begun repairing damaged power lines and the plant’s generators — not all of which are currently in use, and each has enough fuel for at least for 10 days.

“The resumption of shelling and hitting the plant’s sole source of external power, is tremendously irresponsible,” IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said.

Grossi visited Kyiv on Thursday. He said he will soon travel to Russia and then to Ukraine, to further his efforts to set up a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around nuclear power plants, which he has been advocating for weeks.

“This is an absolute and urgent imperative,” he said. The IAEA was not responsible for the apportionment of the shelling.

Zaporizhzhia is one of four regions in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin has annexed in violation of international law. While the nuclear power plant has been under Russian control for months, the city of the same name remains under Ukrainian control.

Putin signed a decree on Wednesday announcing Russia’s takeover of the plant. Ukraine’s foreign ministry called it a criminal act and deemed Putin’s decree “null and void.” Ukraine’s state nuclear operator, Energoatom, said it would continue to operate the plant.