MELITOPOL, September 4. /TASS/. The safety of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant remains ensured, although the second backup external power supply line has been disconnected for four months, creating a "tense situation," since, if it shuts down, the station would have to run powerful diesel generators, Communications Director Yevgeniya Yashina told TASS.
The plant has not been producing electricity since the autumn of 2022. All its power units are in a "cold shutdown" mode. However, the plant depends on an external power supply for its own needs, primarily to power the cooling system pumps. Since May 2025, only one of the two 750 kV Dneprovskaya external high-voltage power supply lines coming from the territory controlled by Kiev has been in operation.
"The plant has backup diesel generators, which is a key safety element at any nuclear power plant. If the external power supply is lost completely, including this one line, the station must be able to start powerful diesel generators instantly. They provide power supply to the security systems, primarily cooling," Yashina said.
She said that nuclear power plants’ projects, including the Zaporozhye plant, are initially calculated with the possible loss of external power sources in mind. "The station has a sufficient supply of diesel fuel to operate the generators for a long time. The availability of this reserve and the serviceability of the generators are constantly monitored. Working on the same line does not directly threaten safety, but creates an atmosphere of constant stress. Backup systems should always be ready to work," she said.
On May 7, protection systems shut down one of the two remaining high-voltage power supply lines, Ferroalloy-1. The station is powered by the second Dneprovskaya line, which currently provides for the nuclear facility own needs. On May 15, Yashina told TASS that the staff of plant was successfully coping with ensuring its safe operation, despite a periodic shutdown of external high-voltage power supply lines coming from the territory controlled by Kiev. On July 4, as a result of the shutdown of the 750 kV Dneprovskaya high-voltage line, the Zaporozhye plant lost all external power supply, and its own needs were supplied by diesel generators. A few hours later, the Dneprovskaya line was put into operation, and the external power supply to the station was restored.
Earlier, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said that the nuclear safety at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has not yet stabilized. The agency also said that the extremely unstable situation with external electricity supply and difficulties related to access to cooling water continue to be the two most problematic areas for ensuring nuclear safety and protection at the station. The IAEA noted that for four months now, the plant has been forced to rely on one external power supply line to cool six reactors in a cold shutdown state and for other important nuclear safety functions.