The Zaporizhzhya power plant has been without external power for six days, the agency warns

The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been without external power for six days, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced on Monday on Platform X.

During a meeting in Warsaw, Grossi discussed the situation at the power plant with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybih and explained that the IAEA is working to restore power to the facility.

The power plant, which has been under the control of Russian occupiers since the start of the war, is the reason for frequent accusations of shelling by both sides of the conflict. According to experts, the long-term failure of the external power supply poses a high risk, as the power plant must have functioning reactor cooling to prevent a nuclear accident like the one in Fukushima.

Russia claims that the power plant is supplied with emergency diesel generators that have sufficient fuel reserves for about 20 days. However, the IAEA points out that the reliability of such emergency power systems is not unlimited and that emergency generators are the last line of defense.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy confirmed that the power plant has already experienced several power outages due to Russian shelling and that the situation is considered very serious.

(reuters, sie)