Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that there has been an emergency situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant for seven consecutive days, caused by Russian shelling. According to him, the plant, which remains under Russian occupation, has lost access to stable external electricity supply and is forced to operate on diesel generators, which is an extraordinary situation for a facility of such scale.
This is reported by Finway
IAEA Cooperation to Restore Power Supply
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stated that the IAEA is working with both sides of the conflict to restore external power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as soon as possible. The lack of stable power creates serious risks for reactor cooling, which could lead to a meltdown.
Threats and Response from Ukrainian Authorities
Zelensky emphasized that Russian attacks make it impossible to carry out repairs on the power lines and restore the basic safety of the plant. The Ukrainian side received information about the failure of one of the diesel generators, which further complicates the situation.
“It has been the seventh day – and by the way, there has never been such a situation before – an emergency situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The situation is critical. Due to Russian shelling, the plant is disconnected from power, from the electrical grid. It is being powered by diesel generators. This is extraordinary. The generators and the plant are not designed for this and have never operated in such a mode for so long,” the head of state noted.
The President stressed that the current actions of Russia pose a threat to the entire world, as no terrorist has ever allowed themselves such actions regarding a nuclear power plant. He held a meeting with military leadership and the Ministry of Energy and instructed the government – in particular, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – to draw maximum attention from the international community to this critical situation.