The Russian-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has lost its last external source of energy due to renewed bombing and is now dependent on backup generators, the IAEA said on Saturday.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russia and then annexed, “gets the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety functions” solely from diesel generators, the UN panel added in a statement.
“The connection was interrupted around one o’clock in the morning local time,” said the IAEA, which claims to be based on “official information from Ukraine” and “reports from your team” from four experts present at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
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“The resumption of bombing, which hits the site’s only external source of energy, is completely irresponsible,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. “I will soon visit the Russian Federation and then return to Ukraine to agree on a nuclear safe and secure zone around the facility. It is an absolute and urgent imperative,” he stressed.
At dawn Ukrainian operator Energoatom wrote on Telegram that “the last interconnector was damaged and disconnected” due to Russian shelling. Although the six reactors are shut down, they continue to require power for vital nuclear safety and security functions. The plant’s diesel generators each have enough fuel for at least ten days.
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Rafael Grossi was in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss establishing a protective zone around the plant, which has been the target of regular gunfire that has already caused several power outages since August and for which Russians and Ukrainians are jointly responsible. “We continue to say what needs to be done, which is essentially avoiding a nuclear accident at the plant, which remains a very, very clear possibility,” he argued.
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