DUBAI: Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has lost all off-site power for the 19th time since the start of the war and is relying on emergency diesel generators to maintain cooling and other essential nuclear safety functions, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
The IAEA said the plant lost its last remaining external power connection at around 9 p.m. local time on Thursday after an attack on an electrical substation across the Dnipro River disconnected the Ferosplavna-1 330 kV backup line.
The outage comes as preparations were underway to repair the plant's 750 kV Dniprovska main power line, which has been out of service since March 24. The repairs were due to take place under a localized ceasefire agreed between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by the IAEA.
The IAEA has been informed that, for the 19th time since the beginning of the military conflict, the Zaporizhzhya NPP lost all off-site power at around 21:00 local time last night following an attack on an electrical substation on the other side of the Dnipro River.
This latest… pic.twitter.com/J4EeRlKuQe
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) June 11, 2026
With the main line disconnected, the plant had been relying on a single backup line for electricity needed to cool its six shut-down reactors and maintain other safety systems.
"The latest loss of off-site power once again highlights the extreme fragility of the electrical grid and the constant dangers to nuclear safety during the war," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said, urging military restraint to prevent a nuclear accident.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, has repeatedly lost external power during the conflict, forcing it to switch to emergency diesel generators.
