Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
October 19, 2025 Peace and security
At the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Ukraine, maintenance work to restore external power began yesterday. As a reminder, Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been without external power for almost a month, raising serious concerns about nuclear safety at the facility.
This was announced by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. After weeks of difficult negotiations, the Russian Federation and Ukraine agreed to an IAEA proposal to establish temporary ceasefire zones around two specific areas on both sides of the front line so that IAEA specialists can repair two power lines damaged during the fighting.
On Saturday morning, after demining was completed, repair work began on two cables of the 330-kilovolt Ferrosplavna-1 line, which was disconnected from Zaporizhzhya NPP on May 7. Later this weekend, after the necessary demining work is completed on the other side, repairs are planned to begin on the damaged section of the 750-kilovolt Dneprovskaya line, which was disconnected on September 23. It was this outage that led to the complete blackout at the plant.
IAEA teams will monitor and report on repairs at both sites, located several kilometers from the plant. Six reactors at Zaporizhzhya NPP have been shut down since 2022, but they still require electricity to operate the pumps that cool the nuclear fuel.
There's finally light at the end of the tunnel. Both sides have been constructively engaging with us to make this possible.
"The start of repair work is a significant step forward in our persistent efforts to restore off-site power to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which has been forced to rely on emergency diesel generators in recent weeks. This is clearly an unsustainable situation," Grossi said.
He said it would take some time before the plant was reconnected to the grid, as repairs would take about a week. "There's finally light at the end of the tunnel. Both sides engaged constructively with us to make this possible. There's a shared understanding that the current situation is not beneficial to anyone. The process was complex, as the power lines are located in an active combat zone, and we first needed to ensure the necessary safety conditions were in place before proceeding with repairs," the IAEA chief noted.
Until external power is restored, the plant receives electricity from seven emergency diesel generators, which support key nuclear safety and security systems. An additional 13 generators are in standby mode.
The current power outage is the tenth since the conflict began and the longest. "Reliance on emergency diesel generators is the last line of defense for nuclear power plants. What was once unthinkable has now become all too common. As long as this devastating conflict continues, nuclear safety and security remain seriously compromised. Today, we have a rare opportunity to deliver good news, but we are still far from a safe situation," Grossi emphasized.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.