The Zaporizhia NPP lost all off-site power at around 21:00 local time last night following an attack on an electrical substation on the other side of the Dnipro Rive, for the 19th time since the beginning of the military conflict, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on the social platform X on Thursday.
"This latest ‑1 330 kV back up line comes as the plant prepares repairs on the 750 kV Dniprovska main power line," IAEA said.
The 750 kV Dniprovska main power line was disconnected since 24 March under the sixth localized ceasefire agreed with both sides to help restore a second off-site power connection.
IAEA reiterated that operating with only one remaining power line leaves the plant extremely vulnerable to conflict-related grid disruptions as we experience it again today. The ZNPP is currently relying on emergency diesel generators to power the cooling of its six shut-down reactors and maintain other essential nuclear safety functions.
"The latest loss of off-site power once again highlights the extreme fragility of the electrical grid and the constant dangers to nuclear safety during the war," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said, reiterating the urgent need for military restraint to prevent a nuclear accident.
