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Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Reconnects Backup Power Line for First Time in Six Months
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![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
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The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been reconnected to its backup power supply for the first time in six months following the repair of the 330-kilovolt “Ferosplavna-1” line, carried out under a local ceasefire monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to Reuters on November 8 and the IAEA’s official statement the same day.
According to the IAEA, maintenance began on the morning of November 8 about three kilometers from the plant site, after a section was cleared of mines to allow technicians to repair a damaged cable between two pylons and restore transmission along the “Ferosplavna-1” line, which had been severed on May 7.
The plant now has two external power sources again—the main 750-kilovolt “Dniprovska” line, restored at the end of October, and the newly repaired 330-kilovolt backup line—significantly reducing the risk of a total power loss for the reactors’ cooling and spent-fuel storage systems.
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IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi described the reconnection of the backup line as “an important step for nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia plant,” emphasizing that it was made possible only after “intensive and complex consultations with Ukraine and the Russian Federation regarding a localized ceasefire.”
Reuters reported that this marks the second stage of restoring external power links to Europe’s largest nuclear plant, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022.
The IAEA recalled that since September 2022, the plant has repeatedly lost all off-site power due to shelling near Enerhodar, each time posing what the agency called “an unacceptable nuclear safety risk.”
Earlier, it was reported that Russian forces are entrenching troops and military vehicles inside the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, with satellite images revealing fortified positions, trenches, and military infrastructure throughout the facility.
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