IAEA: ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT HAS REGAINED ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

VIENNA, JUNE 6 /SRNA/ – The International Atomic Energy Agency announced that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has regained its external electricity supply after power was lost due to the shutdown of the 330-kilovolt Ferrosplavnaya-1 transmission line.

“External power to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was restored this morning after an outage lasting 15 hours, during which the plant was forced to rely on diesel generators to provide electricity for its six shutdown reactors,” the IAEA reported in social media post.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that this was the 18th time the Zaporizhzhia plant had lost off-site power during the conflict in Ukraine, and one of the longest such interruptions.

“This underlines the extreme vulnerability of the power grid and the urgent need to carry out the planned repairs to the transmission line while respecting the ceasefire arranged with IAEA mediation,” Grossi said.
Ukrainian armed forces carried out drone strikes near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant two days ago.

Plant officials said that more than 20 drone strikes were recorded, targeting the area of a thermal power plant where critical energy infrastructure supporting the Ferrosplavnaya-1 transmission line is located.

A temporary local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the area surrounding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant began yesterday at the initiative of the IAEA to allow repairs to the transmission line supplying electricity needed for reactor cooling and to help prevent a nuclear accident.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is located on the left bank of the Dnipro River near the city of Enerhodar.

Due to repeated Ukraine’s attacks, electricity generation at the plant's reactors was suspended in September 2022, and since April 2024 all reactor units have been maintained in cold shutdown mode.