The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been without external power supply for seven days, relying solely on diesel generators, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 30 September. One of these generators has failed.
This marks the longest blackout period since Russian forces occupied the facility. “The generators and the station have never operated in this mode for so long,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian shelling is preventing repair crews from restoring power lines to the plant and reestablishing basic safety measures, according to the president. He said he instructed the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to draw global attention to the situation.
“The situation is critical. Due to Russian shelling, the station is cut off from power, from the electricity grid. […] And this is a threat to absolutely everyone. No terrorist in the world has ever allowed themselves to do with a nuclear plant what russia is doing now. And it’s right that the world should not remain silent,” Zelenskyy said.
This is the tenth blackout at ZNPP since the occupation began. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it is still investigating the cause of the power loss. Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said the only remaining power transmission line supplying ZNPP was damaged by another Russian attack.
Russian occupiers claim Ukrainian forces are shelling the area around ZNPP and the damaged power supply line, making it “impossible to predict restoration timelines.”
Russia seized Zaporizhzhia NPP in early March 2022. All six power units at the plant remain in “cold shutdown” – a safe state for nuclear reactors where they are shut down at low pressure and low coolant temperature. During cold shutdown, reactors do not generate electricity but require external power to maintain cooling systems.
The plant depends on external power for this, but shelling has repeatedly severed transmission lines. Diesel generators activate during such emergencies, but they are designed only for short-term use.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported Moscow will not return the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to Ukraine nor place it under joint international control. Russian officials claim ZNPP is now a Russian nuclear facility that came under Moscow’s jurisdiction in October 2022 following an illegal referendum in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Zelenskyy discussed the situation during a conversation with UN Secretary-General. “We also discussed the situation at ZNPP, which the russians occupied. There is now the longest blackout – the seventh day the station is cut off from power, electricity grids destroyed by shelling. It’s important that the world knows what the consequences could be. We count on an appropriate response,” the Ukrainian president said.