Zaporizhzhya NPP Faces Critical Power Line Disconnection, Highlights Facility's Fragility Amid Conflict

The outage follows recent reports of military activity in the region, with the IAEA team at ZNPP reporting explosions near the plant over the last 24 hours.

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) temporarily lost connection to its only remaining off-site backup power line, leaving it dependent on a single external power source, according to Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) reported that the plant’s 330 kilovolt (kV) Ferosplavna 1 backup power line was disconnected due to a short-circuit around 16:00 yesterday. The plant confirmed that the line was put under maintenance by the Ukraine dispatcher and was reconnected by 15:30 today. However, the cause of the short-circuit and any potential damage remains unknown.

The outage follows recent reports of military activity in the region, with the IAEA team at ZNPP reporting explosions near the plant over the last 24 hours.

"This frequent occurrence, where Europe's largest nuclear power plant must rely on just one external power source to sustain its essential safety and security functions, highlights the vulnerability of this critical facility," said Grossi. "This is unsustainable, and strengthened efforts are urgently needed to uphold the five concrete principles for protecting the facility."

During the outage, ZNPP relied on its sole remaining 750 kV Dniprovska line. Prior to the conflict, the plant had access to four 750 kV and six 330 kV power lines.