The Zaporizhia nuclear power facility in Ukraine is now reliant on backup generators after further bombings, according to a statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday.
The UN agency said in a statement that the plant, which was captured and then annexed by Russia, is currently only powered by fuel-powered generators and receives “the electricity it needs to cool the reactor and ensure other important nuclear safety and security operations.”
She emphasised that her claim was supported by “official information from Ukraine” and “reports from her team,” which consisted of four experts present at the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe. “The link was cut off at 1 am local time,” she added.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, characterised the continuous bombardment of the plant’s sole external energy supply as “an incredibly reckless conduct.”
Grossi continued, “To get an agreement on a nuclear protection and safety zone around the plant, I will soon travel to Russia before returning to Ukraine. It is both very necessary and essential.”
Energotom, a Ukrainian business, declared on the Telegram messaging platform before dawn that “the last connection line was destroyed and disconnected” as a result of Russian airstrikes.
On the other side, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the bombing was the work of Ukrainian forces.
The government confirmed that the power line had been cut, saying “In total, the Ukrainian forces launched 15 shells from the town of Marganets under their control in the Dnipropetrovsk area.”
The Russian military stated that the nuclear power plant’s functionality was ensured by emergency diesel generators and that repairs were being made.
Additionally, Moscow claims that the radiation levels at the station are “normal”.
Despite being turned off, the six reactors still require electricity to perform essential nuclear safety and security tasks.
The station’s diesel generators have enough fuel to run for at least ten days.
Rafael Grossi was in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss the establishment of a safety zone around the station, which has been targeted repeatedly since August and has resulted in many blackouts, with Russian and Ukrainian authorities blaming one another for the attacks.
We keep emphasising that something needs to be done in order to prevent a nuclear accident at the facility, which is a possibility, according to Grossi.
Following the bombing of a power line, Zaporizhia station switches to diesel generators.
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