Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant back on grid, IAEA says

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has been reconnected to the grid after almost three weeks of relying on emergency diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

The plant needs power to keep its six non-operating reactors cool. The IAEA said the restoration of off-site power was a “much-needed development” because the plant had faced a possible station blackout while diesel fuel reserves for emergency generators were diminishing.

The agency said a ceasefire it brokered between Russia and Ukraine enabled repairs to the sole remaining power line supplying the plant. The line had been lost on August 20 due to military activity north of the Dnipro river, according to the IAEA.

Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in March 2022, weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its six reactors have been shut down since 2022.

Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of attacking the site. The IAEA has repeatedly called for restraint over nuclear safety and security concerns and has had teams permanently present at the plant since September 2022.