The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) temporarily lost its only remaining external power line overnight following a drone strike on a nearby electrical substation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday, June 3.
According to the agency, the outage occurred after a drone struck the Nikopolska substation across the Dnipro River from the plant, disconnecting the facility from off-site electricity for approximately 20 minutes.
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Emergency diesel generators automatically supplied power to the plant’s essential safety systems until the external connection was restored shortly before midnight.
The incident marked the 17th loss of off-site power at the Zaporizhzhia plant since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the latest outage again demonstrated the risks facing Europe’s largest nuclear facility during the war.
“The incident once again underlines the constant dangers to nuclear safety during the military conflict,” Grossi said.
He reiterated calls for military restraint around the plant to reduce the risk of a nuclear accident.
Nuclear safety concerns persist around the occupied plant
The plant, located in Russian-occupied Enerhodar in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, has repeatedly faced power disruptions, shelling and military activity since Russian forces seized the facility in March 2022.
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Although all six reactors are currently in cold shutdown, the plant still requires a stable electricity supply to power cooling systems and other critical safety equipment.
The IAEA has repeatedly warned that the loss of external power remains one of the most serious nuclear safety risks at the site because prolonged outages could eventually exhaust backup fuel supplies needed to operate emergency generators.
Grossi has consistently called on both sides to avoid military actions that could threaten the facility and trigger a nuclear emergency.
Following the outage, Russian-installed officials at the occupied plant accused Ukraine of carrying out the drone strike that damaged the nearby Nikopolska substation.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces rejected those claims, calling them disinformation spread by Russian occupation authorities.
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