External electricity supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was restored on June 6 after one of the longest blackouts experienced since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The IAEA reported that the facility had been reliant on emergency diesel generators for cooling six shut-down reactors during a 15-hour outage. This incident marks the 18th loss of external power for the plant amid ongoing hostilities.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi emphasized the “extraordinary vulnerability” of the power network and underscored the urgent need for planned repair work on the transmission lines, which should be conducted under the ceasefire facilitated by the IAEA.
Since 2022, the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia plant have been in a cold shutdown state. The IAEA maintains a continuous presence at the site to monitor safety conditions amid ongoing shelling.
The plant, the largest in Europe, was seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It is currently not generating electricity. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of conducting military operations in the vicinity of the ZNPP, raising concerns about nuclear safety.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has regained external power after a significant blackout, marking the 18th such incident during the conflict. The IAEA continues to monitor the facility's safety amid ongoing military tensions.