Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been without back-up power for the past ten days, leaving the facility entirely dependent on its only remaining 750 kilovolt (kV) line for the external electricity it needs to cool its six reactors and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.
The IAEA experts stationed at the site reported that the ZNPP expects the 330 kV back-up line to be reconnected soon - perhaps even later today - but the plant's off-site power situation remains a source of deep concern, Director General Grossi said.
"Out of a total of 10 off-site power lines available before the conflict - four 750 kV and six 330 kV - only one remains operational today. Even if one back-up line becomes available again, it is far from sufficient," Director General Grossi said.
"Europe's largest nuclear power plant has suffered eight instances of a complete loss of off-site power in the past 18 months, forcing it to rely on emergency diesel generators. In the history of nuclear energy, this is an unprecedented situation and clearly not sustainable. I remain extremely concerned about nuclear safety and security at the plant," he said.
The ZNPP informed the IAEA experts this week that all scheduled preventative maintenance activities on safety-related equipment are suspended until the 330 kV line is reconnected, except for routine testing of the safety systems, including the emergency diesel generators.
Further underlining the persistent dangers facing the plant, the IAEA team has continued to report about the sound of explosions and other indications of military activity in the area, which is on the frontline of the conflict.
