2LT International News

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been on emergency generators for more than a week, heightening concerns over nuclear safety. The plant, Europe’s largest, has been without external power for more than a week, a record outage since the start of the war, Greenpeace Ukraine warned.

The facility lost its last functioning power line early last week after shelling damaged transmission infrastructure, forcing reliance on diesel generators to cool reactor cores and spent fuel. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that cooling and safety systems remain operational but stressed that generators are only a last-resort measure. Director General Rafael Grossi met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, yet external power has not been restored.

The outage began on Sept. 23 after the last remaining transmission line to the plant was damaged. “Based on the location of the ZNPP distribution station and the direction of the 750 kV line, Greenpeace estimates that the damage occurred 2-5 km north of the distribution station, along the line heading north from ZNPP toward the Dnipro River,” the report said.

Before the line was lost, there had been no shelling or attacks on the transmission line.

“This indicates deliberate sabotage by Russian troops,” the organization said.

Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk described the situation as a “significant violation” of operational conditions, noting it was the tenth blackout since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Russian-controlled Telegram channel for the plant insisted that sufficient fuel supplies are available for “long-term autonomous operation,” but Greenpeace experts warned that this level of reliance is dangerous. Jan Vande Putte, a radiation and nuclear energy specialist, called it “the most serious development since the occupation of the ZNPP,” accusing Russia of deliberately cutting connections to Ukraine’s power grid to advance its own energy objectives.

Greenpeace Ukraine’s satellite analysis suggests Russia is preparing to restart at least one reactor under wartime conditions. The group said Russian engineers are laying nearly 200 kilometers of new power lines between substations in occupied Melitopol and Mariupol, construction that began in December 2024. Analysts also reported deliberate damage to a 750-kilovolt line linking the plant to Ukraine’s energy system, as well as the completion of a new water supply system for cooling. The Associated Press has not independently verified these claims.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, seized by Russian forces in 2022, houses six reactors now in cold shutdown. While nuclear reactions have stopped, constant electricity is still essential for cooling systems. Previous outages have repeatedly forced the facility to switch to diesel backup.

The city of Zaporizhzhia, still under Ukrainian control, lies about 440 kilometers southeast of Kyiv. Frequent attacks around the plant underscore the risks of operating such a complex so close to the front line. IAEA teams continue rotating through the facility to monitor conditions and provide expertise.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced what he described as a “mega deal” worth US$90 billion with the United States. The package includes a broad weapons agreement and a separate contract for Ukrainian-made drones that Washington will purchase directly.

Zelenskyy said technical meetings are scheduled to begin in late September and that Ukraine has submitted detailed requests for long-range systems. He also criticized Hungary for conducting “dangerous” intelligence-gathering drone activities over Ukraine.