Ukraine nuke plant off grid
Russian strikes put it ‘at risk’
Russian shelling on Thursday forced the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, off the grid and left it reliant on emergency generators, the energy company said.
All six reactors at ZNPP in southeastern Ukraine had been shut down after repeated damage from nearby fighting, Energoatom posted on Telegram Thursday. The generators reportedly only have enough fuel to maintain the plant for 15 days.
“The countdown has begun,” Energoatom wrote, noting concerns about maintaining “ZNPP in a safe mode.”
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency also confirmed the switch, underscoring the “extremely precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the facility.”
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said diesel generators are “clearly not a sustainable way” to operate the facility, which is among the top 10 largest power plants in the world.
“Measures are needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site. The establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed,” he stated.
ZNPP was first occupied by Russian forces in the early days of the ongoing war. In the months since, Moscow and Kyiv have traded blame for the damage incurred at the site.
While Vladimir Putin signed a decree ordering Russian officials to take control of the site in early October, Ukrainian workers continue to run it. Ukrainian sources have repeatedly complained of mistreatment of nuclear workers at the hands of Russian soldiers, including the abductions of at least two senior officials.
Energoatom believes that Russia is trying to connect the ZNPP to Moscow’s power grid in order to supply electricity to Crimea and Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Meanwhile, fighting continues to rage in surrounding areas, with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office confirming Thursday that the neighboring city of Nikopol was shelled again, resulting in damage to residential and commercial buildings.
In the Donetsk region, battles are ongoing in Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where residents are reportedly living without electricity or heat. Russian missiles also hit the northeastern city of Kharkiv, officials said.
The president’s office said Russia’s use of drones, missiles and heavy artillery across several cities left six civilians dead and 16 more wounded.
The IAEA is also continuing to monitor Russia’s allegation that Ukraine is gearing up to drop radioactive “dirty bombs.” Initial reports on Thursday said inspections found no evidence of such plans, while Western nations continue to denounce Moscow’s claims as “transparently false.”
News of the crisis at ZNPP comes amid increasingly dire reports from Russia’s conscripts, many of whom are said to be sent to the front lines without training or proper equipment.