Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant loses external power for 27th time
The plant is relying on emergency diesel generators, with fuel reserves enough for about two weeks, and the cause of the outage is not yet known.
Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant lost all external electricity on Sunday for the 27th time since the conflict began, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement on X, International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.
The plant lost its connection to its only remaining external power line, Ferosplavna-1, early Sunday morning, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
The facility is now using emergency diesel generators to cool its reactors and carry out other essential safety functions.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the outage highlighted the facility's "continued precarious nuclear safety situation."
The agency said the cause and location of the disconnection had not yet been determined.
Information provided to the IAEA team stationed at the plant showed that existing fuel reserves can run a limited number of emergency diesel generators for about two weeks, the agency said.
Grossi stressed the need to restore the plant's connection to the electricity grid and to increase diesel fuel reserves to keep the site safe.
The Zaporizhzhya plant, in southeastern Ukraine, is one of Europe's largest nuclear power stations and has been under Russian control since early 2022, when Russian forces seized it during the war.
Its repeated loss of off-site power has been a recurring concern for the IAEA, which has staff at the site to monitor safety and has repeatedly urged that the plant's power supply be secured.
