IAEA reports Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant regains back-up electricity feed

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau

UNITED NATIONS, 4th July. The head of the UN nuclear watch dog agency IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi on Monday warned that the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine is now reconnected to back-up power line after four months, but the power situation at the site remains “highly vulnerable.”

Mr. Grossi said “While the reconnection of the back-up power line is positive, the plant’s external power situation remains highly vulnerable, underlining the precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the site.”

According to IAEA, the plant’s connection to the single 330 kilovolt (kV) power line out of six that existed before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 was restored on Saturday.

IAEA said that the connection had been cut on 1 March due to damage sustained on the other side of the Dnipro River.

The four-month-long effort to restore the connection reflects the challenging security situation in the region, it stated.

IAEA stressed that the ZNPP had been relying solely on a single main 750 kV power line for essential functions like reactor cooling and nuclear safety since the conflict began. Prior to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, the plant had four such power lines.

The newly energized 330 kV line will serve as a backup and will be available to supply power to the ZNPP in case the main line becomes unavailable or damaged, the agency noted

According to IAEA since the Russia invasion of Ukraine, the plant has experienced complete power loss from external sources, compelling temporary reliance on emergency diesel generators for electricity.

Mr. Grossi said no mines or explosive devices have been detected around the plant by a team of agency experts.

He announced that the IAEA inspection team had noted that the plant had the reserves of water available for use despite the destruction of the downstream Kakhovka dam more than three weeks ago.

Mr. Grossi said the inspection reported that mines and other explosives had been placed in and around the plant, including mines near the cooling pond.

He added that IAEA takes such reports very seriously.

“I have instructed our experts at the site to look into this matter and request the access they need for doing their job,” he said.

He concluded that “Until now they have not observed any mines or other explosives. Further access will still be needed.”