The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is working to restore offsite power to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, the head of the UN agency said on September 30.
IAEA Secretary-General Rafael Grossi said he was working with both sides in the military conflict to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that the situation at the power plant had become critical after entering the seventh day of an emergency. The power supply to the plant is being maintained by diesel generators, Zelenskyy said, adding that Russian shelling is preventing repair of power lines to the plant and the restoration of basic safety.
“Because of Russian shelling, the plant has been cut off from power, disconnected from the electrical grid, and is being supplied with electricity by diesel generators,” he said on X. “This is extraordinary. The generators and the plant were not designed for this, have never operated in this mode for long, and we already have information that one generator has failed.”
Zelenskyy said it was “a threat to everyone,” and no terrorist “has ever dared to do to a nuclear plant what Russia is doing.”
Grossi said he was “in constant contact with the two sides with the aim to enable the plant’s swift reconnection to the electricity grid.”
“While the plant is currently coping thanks to its emergency diesel generators — the last line of defense — and there is no immediate danger as long as they keep working, it is clearly not a sustainable situation in terms of nuclear safety,” he said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
“Neither side would benefit from a nuclear accident,” he added.
Grossi said both sides noted military activity had prevented them from carrying out necessary repairs.
“I strongly encourage both sides to work with us and enable these essential repairs to take place,” he said.
Russian officials have not commented on the latest statements on conditions at the plant. The Moscow-installed management of the plant denied any problems with the generators.
Ukraine’s nuclear energy authority Enerhoatom announced the 10th blackout at the Zaporizhzhya on September 23, saying the last power transmission line connecting the plant to the Ukrainian power system was disconnected.
IAEA representatives at the power plant confirmed that emergency diesel generators had begun operating to provide the plant with electricity.
Zaporizhzhya, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, was seized by Russian troops shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The plant’s nuclear reactors have been shut down, but the plant still requires electricity to maintain safety functions such as cooling the reactors.
The IAEA has played a role in safeguarding the condition of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, and inspectors from the agency are on site to monitor safety. Grossi has repeatedly warned about the risk of a nuclear accident caused by fighting taking place near the plant and has held talks with both sides to try to ease tensions around the plant.
