IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the latest, tenth blackout at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP was the longest in the years of the war.
This is stated in a release published on the IAEA website.
“Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been without external power for over a week, which is the longest such event since the start of the war. Although the plant is currently operating thanks to emergency diesel generators – the last line of defense – and there is no immediate threat as long as they continue to operate, this situation is clearly unsustainable from a nuclear safety perspective,” he said.
It is noted that power to the ZNPP must be restored as soon as possible to prevent a nuclear accident. Rafael Grossi warned that in the event of a complete power outage, when the plant is left without external power and without diesel generators, there is a risk of nuclear fuel melting if power is not restored in time.
According to Energoatom, Ukraine has expressed its readiness to repair the backup power line, provided that the Russian military guarantees safety.
On September 23, as a result of another provocation by the Russian military, the power line supplying the Zaporizhzhia NPP from the Ukrainian power grid was damaged. The station has now been powered by diesel generators for eight days.