IAEA: After the local ceasefire, the Zaporizhzhya NPP was again connected to backup power

Illustrative photo: Getty Images

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was connected to the second reserve line of external power supply after repairs carried out during the temporary truce. The line has been out of service since May 7, 2025.

Source: international atomic energy agency (IAEA)

Details: Director General of the IAEA, Raphael Grossi, said that the 330 kilovolt (kV) line “Ferosplavna-1” was connected to the station on Saturday at 19:43.

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Since the damaged sections of the power transmission line were located directly in the zone of active hostilities, the key condition for the start of work was the achievement of a temporary ceasefire.

Repair work began on Saturday morning after preliminary demining of a dangerous area located approximately three kilometers from the perimeter of the station. Under the supervision of IAEA experts, technicians repaired the damaged cable between the two pylons, which allowed the line to resume operation.

This is the second line that has been renovated recently. A little more than two weeks ago, on October 23, the 750 kV main line “Dniprovska” was restored. Prior to that, the ZNPP had been in an extremely dangerous state for a month, relying solely on emergency diesel generators to power reactor cooling systems and spent fuel storage.

Although all six of the plant’s reactors have been shut down for more than three years and do not produce electricity, they need uninterrupted power to prevent a meltdown of the reactor cores and a possible release of radiation. During the war, the station, which had ten power lines before the invasion, already experienced ten complete blackouts.

Despite the important success at the ZNPP, the general situation with nuclear safety in Ukraine remains extremely unstable. After Saturday’s missile attack, the Khmelnytsky and Rivne NPPs were forced to reduce electricity production due to damage to substations.

Prehistory:

• November 7 a truce began with the mediation of the IAEA near the ZNPP to start repairs to strengthen the plant’s connection to the power grid and prevent a nuclear disaster.

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