KEY POINTS
- The Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant lost external power after a high-voltage line was damaged.
- The plant switched to emergency diesel generators, and its management said radiation levels stayed normal.
- Europe’s largest nuclear plant needs outside power to cool its fuel, a recurring risk during the war.
The Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has switched to emergency diesel generators after damage to a high-voltage line cut its external power, the plant’s management said on Thursday.
According to the Moscow-installed management, staff are watching the equipment’s operating parameters closely and taking every step needed to keep the reactors safe. Moreover, it said radiation levels around the site remain normal, and that the diesel units are holding the plant in a stable state.
Why external power matters
Zaporizhzhia is Europe’s largest nuclear plant, with six reactors, and although it produces no electricity, it still needs outside power to cool its nuclear fuel. Therefore, the loss of that supply forces the site to lean on backup diesel generators, which operators treat as a last line of defence against overheating.
Furthermore, the plant relies on two external links for that power. Because those lines run through an active war zone, they have proved vulnerable throughout the conflict, and each interruption raises fresh concern about the risk to the fuel and the reactors.
A recurring flashpoint
Russia seized the plant in the opening weeks of the war it launched in 2022, and control of the site has stayed contested ever since. Consequently, Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of military action that endangers nuclear safety, with neither side accepting blame.
Still, the plant has lost external power several times during the war, and nuclear watchdogs have warned that repeated outages strain its safety systems. However, the current management said it had contained the latest incident and kept the reactors in a safe condition. The episode again underlines how fragile the site remains while fighting continues nearby, and how much it depends on a handful of vulnerable power lines.
