Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on diesel power, IAEA says

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been without off-site power for more than a week and is relying on emergency diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday.

The UN nuclear watchdog said the plant needs power to keep its six non-operating reactors cool and has only a ten-day diesel supply on site. It said there had been no delivery to an off-site storage facility in about six months, although the plant was supplied with diesel Thursday and Friday from another off-site location.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said diesel fuel is essential whenever a nuclear power plant loses off-site power. He said the situation showed the importance of reliable external power and secure supply routes for nuclear safety and security.

The IAEA said the plant lost its regular power supply “following military activity on the northern side of the Dnipro River”. The Vienna-based agency said it was trying to negotiate a local ceasefire to allow repairs to electrical lines.

On Friday, the IAEA said three drone-related incidents this week at the Zaporizhzhia plant injured two employees and raised renewed safety concerns.

The plant, in southern Ukraine, was seized by the Russian army in March 2022, weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion. Both sides in the conflict regularly accuse each other of attacking the site, which sits on the banks of the Dnipro River near the frontline in the sector.

IAEA teams have had a permanent presence at the plant since September 2022. Zaporizhzhia's six reactors have been shut down since 2022.