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Power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant cut, restored, IAEA says
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its only external electricity connection for several hours on 8 November, leaving it reliant on emergency diesel generators to run cooling and safety systems. Power was restored about 10 hours later, but the IAEA says the cause and location of the disconnection remain unknown. The outage highlights the continuing risks to nuclear safety at Europe’s largest nuclear power station.
The IAEA said this was the 27th such event during the war. The plant, in Enerhodar in southern Ukraine, has been under Russian occupation since the full-scale invasion; the agency has had monitors there since September 2022. It has also faced repeated threats to safety, including damage to nearby power infrastructure and disruptions to external electricity supplies.
In short
- Zaporizhzhia plant lost external power for several hours.
- Emergency diesel generators maintained cooling and safety functions.
- The IAEA says it was the 27th such event during the war.
Explained simply
The Zaporizhzhia plant is Europe’s largest nuclear power station, near the city of Enerhodar in southern Ukraine. It has been under Russian occupation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, has had monitors at the site since 2022.
Nuclear plants need electricity to run systems that cool their reactors and keep them safe, even when they are not producing power. The plant has faced repeated interruptions to its external electricity supply during the war, making its backup generators important.
The IAEA says this was the 27th such event since the war began. Continued disruption matters because the plant’s safety depends on reliable power and on equipment and staff being able to operate under difficult conditions.