Zaporozhskaya AES again left without external power: this 16-th blackout since the beginning of the year — Energoatom

In the night of Sunday, 8 November, at 02:36 The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been left without external power, reported NAEC Energoatom.

In particular, the station lost power from the 330 kV line “Ferrosplavna-1” — the last line that was still operating and provided a link between ZNPP and the Ukrainian energy system.

An attempt to automatically re-energize the line was unsuccessful. Currently only the operation of backup diesel generators ensures the needs of the ZNPP.

As noted by Energoatom, this is the 16-th case of a complete loss of external power supply to the Zaporizhzhia NPP since the beginning of 2026 year. The station's power outage poses a critical threat to nuclear and radiation safety, the company emphasized.

In particular, operating in blackout mode creates a direct risk of failure of life-support and cooling systems for nuclear fuel if diesel generators fail or exhaust their resource, which could lead to a radiation accident.

“Systematic loss of external power supply is a consequence of the occupation of the ZNPP. Restoration of nuclear and radiation safety at the station is possible only under its full return under Ukraine’s control and to the legal operator,” Energoatom emphasized.

Zaporizhzhia NPP is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and has six power units. Russian troops captured the plant in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 year.

Recently, during another massive attack, Russian forces struck a substation critical to the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi NPP. Such actions pose a threat not only to Ukraine but also to nuclear safety across Europe, Energy Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal stated. Ukraine informed the IAEA about this serious escalation by Russia.

As part of the campaign of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Russia actively targets distribution equipment and networks, attempting to fragment the power system and isolate nuclear power plants. Russia’s attempts to cut Ukrainian NPPs off from the grid realistically threaten not only blackouts but also nuclear danger, journalist Vladyslav Obukh wrote in the article “NPP without a grid: does nuclear accident threaten Ukraine if substations fail.” According to some experts, visits by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency may pose a threat rather than protection for Ukrainian substations. While visiting substations, IAEA representatives will obtain detailed information on the physical protection of such facilities, but the IAEA will not be able to effectively influence Russia’s actions.