The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is under the occupation of the Russian Federation, has been forced to operate on backup diesel generators for the second day due to a lack of external power supply. This situation arose after the damage to the power line that connected the NPP to the Ukrainian energy system.
This is reported by Finway
Reasons for the outage and Ukraine’s position
According to representatives of the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company “Energoatom”, the loss of power was caused by yet another provocation from Russia, during which a key power line was damaged. At the same time, the National Energy Company “Ukrenergo” reports that in the territory controlled by Ukraine, this line is fully operational, and there are no technical obstacles to its functioning. However, the occupying authorities are deliberately refusing to connect the plant to the power supply, accompanied by a large-scale disinformation campaign against Ukraine.
Security risks and a call to the international community
According to a statement from “Energoatom”, the operation of diesel generators is a temporary solution and does not ensure stable and long-term operation of the nuclear plant. The refusal to connect to external power may provoke a loss of control over the nuclear safety of the facility, creating a potential threat not only to Ukraine but also to neighboring European countries.
“We call on the international community and partners to increase pressure on the aggressor country. The plant must be immediately returned under the control of its only legitimate operator – Energoatom, to prevent a radiation and nuclear disaster,” states “Energoatom”.
Experts emphasize that the immediate restoration of proper power supply and the return of control over the NPP to the Ukrainian operator is necessary to guarantee nuclear safety across the entire continent.