Conflicts are increasing again over Ukraine’s security Zapsorizia The nuclear power plant, which has been cut off from the external supply of power for more than a week.
Prisisted by Russian forces at the beginning of the war, the facility no longer supply electricity to the grid, but still its six inactive reactors require electricity to cool and spend fuel. Emergency generators are currently keeping the system operational.
Head of Rafael Grosie, International nuclear power agencySaid the conditions are still stable, but warned that it is important to restore reliable external power. Ukrainian President Volodimier Zelansky described the situation as “important”, saying that the backup systems were never for long use.
Here’s a look at what is at stake – and what can happen if Zaporizhjia faces the total loss of power.
The longest outage since the war began
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, has lost external power on 23 September and is now in its longest outage since Russia’s invasion in 2022. It is the latest in a range of events caused by fighting in the eastern region.
The Grosy is interacting with both Russian and Ukrainian officials to restore the off-site power, underlining that the current backup system “is not clearly a permanent position in the case of nuclear safety.”
The agency said that the plant staff is rotating the diesel generator to maintain a stable supply. Currently eight units are running, nine are on standby and three are in maintenance.
A senior official of Ukraine’s state nuclear security agency, DMYTRO GUMENIUK warned that Russian forces should ensure fuel delivery to run the generator.
“The fact that it is running on the diesel generator already represents a risk,” he explained the Associated Press. “Even if they are fueling, it is still not a specific situation. The generators may fail, and they should continuously monitor. We had never had such a case before.”
Although equipment and employee are available for repairing the main power line and a backup line, the ongoing fight has blocked the access.
A total blackout fears
The reactors of Zaporizhia have been closed for more than three years, which has reduced the risk of a major event. But full loss of electricity can lead to fuel overheating if the cooling system fails.
Ukrainians are haunted near Chernobyl disaster Keev In 1986, when an explosion and fire released large -scale radiation with permanent effects.
The generator of zaporizhzhia is considered the last line of defense. Fuel stores are expected to last for more than 10 days, although continuing again.
With all the reactors in the so-called cold shutdown, the fragmentation reactions are discontinued and the temperature and pressure are slowly decreasing-giving more time to the operators to respond before it becomes dangerous.
Cooling, however, remains necessary, especially for fuel spent, for fuel stored on the site, which must be immersed to prevent overheating.
IAEA states that the plant is still stable, but any disruption in the backup system can quickly increase the risk.
The fight continues near the plant
Russia enacted Zaporizhia in September 2022 in September 2022 with Donetsk, Khercen and Luhansk after a disputed referendum organized under military occupation.
The move was not recognized internationally, and the fight continues in all four regions, Russia was unable to achieve complete control despite advances in 2025.
Ukraine has blamed the Russian artillery for the latest electricity loss at the Zaporizhia plant.
Moscow Class with Kremlin spokesman dismissed Dimitri Peskov To tell Russia that it is a feature by calling it “stupid”.