External power restored to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after more than 2 weeks on diesel generators
External power has been restored to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after more than two weeks of relying on emergency diesel generators, Ukraine's state nuclear operator Energoatom said on Sept. 7.
The plant was reconnected to Ukraine's power grid through the 330-kilovolt Ferosplavna-1 transmission line at 7:02 p.m. and is currently drawing 11 megawatts of electricity, according to Energoatom.
Ukrainian energy workers repaired the line during a localized ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency to allow work near the front line.
The plant lost its connection to Ferosplavna-1, its last remaining external power line, on Aug. 20 and had since relied on emergency diesel generators to cool its six reactors and spent fuel pools.
The IAEA warned last week that diesel fuel reserves at the plant were running low and that it could face a station blackout within days unless external power was restored or additional fuel delivered.
The Aug. 20 outage was the plant's 15th blackout this year and the 27th since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, since March 2022. Its six reactors remain in cold shutdown but still require electricity to maintain essential nuclear safety functions.