IAEA says Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been without external power for six days

The Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been without external power sources for six days now, said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi on X today, describing the situation as critical.

Grossi posted a photograph from his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha at a security forum in Warsaw. "We discussed the critical situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has now been without an external power source for six days. The IAEA is working to restore supplies to ensure nuclear safety," Grossi wrote alongside the photo.

Last Tuesday, the IAEA reported that the plant, which is now under Russian control, had lost its electricity supply, adding that it was investigating the cause of the outage. It also noted that this was already the tenth time this had happened since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, considered the largest in Europe, is located in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, near the front line. Russia seized the facility shortly after launching its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Both sides have since accused each other of shelling it. The plant has six reactors, which are shut down and not generating electricity. However, they contain considerable quantities of nuclear fuel that must be kept safe and cooled. The facility therefore needs external power supplies. It is temporarily powered by diesel generators.