Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost the connection to its only remaining back-up power line for 36 hours this week, underlining the fragility of the electricity supplies it needs to cool its six reactors and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.
Tuesday morning's disconnection of the 330 kilovolt (kV) power line once again left the ZNPP entirely dependent on its sole 750 kV line. Before the military conflict, it had four 750 kV and six 330 kV lines available, highlighting how nuclear safety and security has been severely degraded since February 2022. It was not immediately clear what caused the latest incident, but the line was restored on Wednesday evening.
The ZNPP has suffered repeated partial or complete power outages since the conflict began, representing one of the most difficult challenges for maintaining nuclear safety and security during the conflict. In total, it has lost all external power eight times, forcing it to temporarily rely on emergency diesel generators for electricity.
"The off-site power situation remains a deep source of concern. This week's loss of the 330kV power line shows that the situation is not improving in this regard, on the contrary," Director General Grossi said.
A day before the 330 kV line was disconnected, the IAEA team stationed at the ZNPP visited the Raduga electrical substation in the city of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live, after receiving information of an alleged artillery strike on Sunday. The team confirmed that one of the two transformers at the substation was destroyed by the shelling and that the other transformer was unavailable since June due to damage sustained on one of its power lines. The substation had been used to provide back-up power to the city of Enerhodar and to the industrial area near the ZNPP.
In addition, the ZNPP informed the IAEA team that the same shelling had damaged another power line nearby, connecting the plant to the 150 kV open switchyard of the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant. The damage limits the availability of potential back-up power supplies to the ZNPP. Repair on the line is ongoing.
Earlier today, the team that has been at the site for the past several weeks was replaced by another group of IAEA staff. It is the 24th such team stationed at the ZNPP since Director General Grossi established an Agency presence at the site, located on the frontline, to help prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict.
During the past week, the IAEA team that has now rotated out continued to hear explosions on most days, including several blasts close to the site, although no damage to the plant was reported.
The team conducted regular walkdowns across the ZNPP, including to the 750 kV open switchyard, the main control rooms of all reactor units and some of the site's waterworks facilities.
The IAEA teams present at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site reported that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the effects of the ongoing conflict, including air raid alarms for several days over the past week.
At the Khmelnytskyy NPP, reactor unit 1 has been reconnected to the grid after completion of a refuelling outage that began in July. The site now also has all of its off-site power lines available, after a 750 kV line was reconnected, following disruptions caused by attacks on Ukraine's grid in late August.
Ukraine's nuclear safety regulator informed the IAEA that on two occasions late last month - the nights of 27 and 29 September - ten and thirteen drones, respectively, flew through the area of the South Ukraine NPP, one of them directly above the site. Today, the regulator added that five drones flew through the same area early on 1 October, including one above the site.
The IAEA has continued to deliver on its comprehensive programme of assistance to help Ukraine maintain nuclear safety and security.
During the conflict, Ukraine has seen a rising incidence of rabies. In recent weeks, the IAEA has therefore facilitated deliveries of rabies vaccines to hospitals near the NPP sites, enhancing their capacity to provide plant staff with life-saving treatment for rabies.
In addition, ten gamma spectrometers were delivered to local public health centres of the Ministry of Health located in ten cities across Ukraine. The equipment will enhance their radioanalytical capabilities, particularly in view of the risk for a radiological or nuclear emergency during the conflict.
It brings to 69 the total number of deliveries of equipment and supplies since the start of the conflict, worth 12 million euro.
These latest deliveries were supported with funding provided by Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea and the United States.
Separately this week, Director General Grossi travelled to Belarus, meeting President Alexander Lukashenko in the capital Minsk and visiting the country's NPP in Ostrovets. On this occasion, the President confirmed to Director General Grossi that no action originating from Belarus would compromise nuclear safety or security at the Chornobyl NPP.
