The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced today that the Zaporizhzhia NPP, occupied by the Russian armed forces, has again been left without external power supply, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The reason for this is probably a damaged 330-kilowatt power line on the northern bank of the Dnieper River. An attempt to restore the connection was unsuccessful, the UN nuclear regulator said in Aix.
Due to ongoing hostilities, technicians were unable to immediately determine the cause of the failure, the IAEA said.
The diesel generators had automatically started up and were powering the Zaporizhzhia NPP's main safety systems.
The IAEA team at the site is continuing to assess the situation.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned of the "extremely volatile" situation regarding nuclear safety, and called on the warring parties to exercise maximum restraint and ensure the plant's external power supply.
The Zaporizhzhia NPP, which has six reactors, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
The facility came under Russian control shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has been repeatedly shelled since then, DPA notes.
The Zaporizhzhia NPP's reactors are off, but they still need cooling, making the plant dependent on external power lines or diesel generators to maintain basic safety functions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported days ago that a drone exploded at a bus stop used by employees of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia NPP, killing one person and injuring several others. were injured, Reuters reported.
In a post on the social network Ex IAEA indicated that the director of the Zaporizhzhia NPP had described the incident as the "most serious incident" related to the plant.
According to the director, the explosion occurred at around 6 a.m. (Bulgarian time), affecting a total of 16 plant employees and workers from external companies. One person died and three were seriously injured.
The Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is located near the front line, was occupied by Russia in March 2022 - just days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 of that year, which raised fears of a nuclear accident. It is regularly subjected to shelling, for which Moscow and Kiev blame each other, with each side in the conflict claiming that the other is deliberately targeting the plant.
Among the latest military incidents in the area, an attack was carried out in July on the water supply infrastructure of parts of the plant.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called on military commanders responsible for such actions, as well as anyone who carries out attacks on nuclear power plants or their personnel, to immediately cease them.
He said such actions were unacceptable and posed serious risks to nuclear safety in the context of an ongoing conflict.