One of two power lines to ZNPP de-energized once again due to attack on substation

As a result of a Russian attack on a main substation, one of the power lines supplying the occupied Zaporizhia NPP was de-energized.

"The station was again on the verge of a blackout," the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported on Tuesday.

In turn, according to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine with reference to Energoatom, on the morning of October 1, 2024, as a result of shelling by Russian occupation forces, the VL-330 kV Ferosplavna-1 power transmission line connecting Zaporizhia NPP with the Ukrainian power grid was disconnected. So far, Zaporizhia NPP is powered only through one line – PL-750 kV Dniprovska.

"The occupiers continue nuclear terror, cynically ignoring one of the seven fundamental pillars of nuclear safety identified by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at a special meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on March 2, 2022: the need for a reliable and stable power supply to the NPP industrial site," the inspectorate commented.

It also noted that this is a violation of one of the five principles voiced by Grossi at a meeting of the UN Security Council on May 30 2023, which states: "The power supply of Zaporizhia NPP should not be under threat, for this purpose, every effort should be made to ensure the constant availability and safety of external power supply."

As reported, since the beginning of the Russian occupation on March 4, 2022, Zaporizhia NPP has already experienced eight full blackouts and one partial one – with the launch of emergency diesel generators and safety systems. Their failure may lead to an emergency situation.