Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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December 11, 2025 Peace and security
Energy supply instability continues to pose serious risks to the safety of Ukraine's nuclear power plants amid the armed conflict, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated on Thursday.
According to the agency's head, early in the morning of December 6, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) once again lost all external power—for the eleventh time since the full-scale invasion began. The two remaining operational power lines went down within 20 minutes of each other, leaving the plant without access to the grid.
"While the emergency generators performed as planned, repeated loss of off-site power increases operational stress and highlights the importance of reliable power supply," Grossi said.
One of the 330 kV lines was restored within 29 minutes, while the main 750 kV line remained without power for about nine hours. Earlier in the fall, Zaporizhzhya NPP spent a whole month without external power supply.
The situation at other nuclear power plants
The IAEA reports that large-scale attacks last Saturday disrupted the power grid in many regions of Ukraine. As a result, three operating nuclear power plants were forced to reduce reactor power.
"These outages resulted in power fluctuations, temporary outages, and forced shutdowns of power units. At a number of stations, power was reduced to maintain grid balance and prevent equipment damage," Grossi noted.
The agency's head reiterated that power grid instability remains one of the most serious challenges in terms of nuclear safety. One of the seven key safety principles, he said, is a guaranteed off-site power supply for all nuclear facilities.
Support for Ukraine
IAEA teams stationed at all Ukrainian nuclear power plants continue to monitor the situation around the clock. In early December, experts visited more than 10 substations damaged in recent attacks to assess repair needs and propose measures to support the energy infrastructure.
Agency experts were present during testing of a diesel generator at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on December 5. During the test, a flame erupted from the exhaust pipe—as plant staff explained, due to soot ignition after the generator had been running for an extended period without external power. Following the test, the unit was returned to standby mode, and the team found no nuclear safety violations.
Grossi also reported that the IAEA, with financial support from the United Kingdom, provided four SUVs to the physical protection unit of the Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management of Ukraine.
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