IAEA: Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya NPP vulnerable after Russian attack on power line

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warns of fragile nuclear safety at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), as efforts continue to repair the 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 power line damaged by Russia.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that additional damage to the line was discovered last week during the successful reconnection of the plant to Ukraine’s power grid, Caliber.Az reports, citing IAEA.

The back-up Ferosplavna-1 line, located near the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant’s switchyard, is now the focus of ongoing repair negotiations.

“Restoring this power line is essential to improving the fragile nuclear safety and security situation at the site,” Grossi said. The line, along with the recently restored Dniprovska line, was one of the two remaining routes supplying electricity to ZNPP, which has been operating without full external power for over a month.

Although ZNPP’s six reactors have been shut down for more than three years, they still require stable power for cooling systems and other essential safety equipment. Over the past month, emergency diesel generators have kept these systems running, underscoring the plant’s vulnerability amid the ongoing conflict.

Grossi also reported fresh damage to substations at other Ukrainian nuclear facilities due to military activity, including South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant (SUNPP), Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP), and Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP). “The dangers to nuclear safety continue to be very real and ever-present,” he said, urging maximum military restraint near nuclear facilities.

Separately, the IAEA continues its support programme in Ukraine through the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Kherson Oblast (ISAMKO), which provides technical assistance, equipment, and training to mitigate environmental and health impacts from the 2023 Kakhovka dam disaster.

Recent deliveries include high-precision isotopic water analysers, medical equipment, and radiation monitoring tools, funded by Japan, Italy, and Sweden.

“Even amid war, building national capacity with nuclear-derived tools is essential to protect people and ecosystems,” Grossi said. Since the conflict began, the IAEA has delivered 169 shipments of essential nuclear safety, security, and medical supplies to Ukraine, worth over €20 million.

The situation at ZNPP and other nuclear sites remains precarious, with repair efforts for the Ferosplavna-1 line seen as critical to maintaining nuclear safety in a region still affected by military operations.

By Aghakazim Guliyev