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Record Blackout at Europe’s Largest Nuclear Plant, Occupied by Russia: Ukraine Sounds Alarm at Zaporizhzhia
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![Photo of Maryna Kulakova]( "Photo of Maryna Kulakova")
Serious threats to nuclear and radiation safety have emerged at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) after six days without external power, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported on September 29.
The Russian-occupied plant has been cut off from Ukraine’s energy system for six days after a Russian strike severed a key transmission line, leaving it without external power. Its safety and critical systems are currently being powered only by backup diesel generators.
“It remains unclear how much diesel fuel is available on site and how long the generators can continue supplying power to essential systems. These include the cooling mechanisms for spent nuclear fuel stored in all six reactors and in spent fuel pools,” said Oleg Korikov, Head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate and Ukraine’s chief nuclear safety inspector.
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He warned that unless Russian forces restore the plant’s connection to Ukraine’s power grid soon, and if diesel supplies are exhausted, an emergency situation with radiation consequences could arise—not only for Ukraine but also for other European countries.
Reliable external electricity is one of the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety identified by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, and one of the five principles for preventing a potential accident and safeguarding the plant’s integrity.
“Yet Russia continues to disregard these principles, along with resolutions by the IAEA Board of Governors, the UN General Conference, and the UN General Assembly, all of which call for the de-occupation and demilitarization of the ZNPP and its return to Ukrainian control,” Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate wrote.
Earlier, it was reported that the ZNPP lost its only external power line following s Russian strike, forcing a switch to emergency diesel generators. It was the tenth full blackout since Russia seized the site in 2022.
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