A local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has taken effect, enabling repairs to restore external power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the agency said on Saturday.
The Russian-controlled nuclear power plant, located in Ukraine, has been without external power since August 20 and has relied on emergency diesel generators to cool its vital safety systems.
The plant is running low on diesel fuel reserves and faces a possible station blackout within days unless power is restored or more diesel is transported to the site, the UN atomic watchdog said, adding that Ukrainian technicians will begin power line repairs later on Saturday after demining the area.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is Europe’s largest, with six reactors and a capacity of around 6,000 MW.
It has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, shortly after the full-scale war began.
All six reactors are in cold shutdown, but continuous power is still essential to cool the reactors and spent fuel pools and prevent any risk of overheating.
The plant has lost external power more than two dozen times since the war started, making reliable off-site electricity and fuel supplies a recurring nuclear safety concern monitored by the IAEA.
