The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine experienced a complete loss of off-site power on 4 July 2025 – the ninth such incident since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
The incident underscores the heightened nuclear safety risks at Europe’s largest nuclear plant amidst continuing hostilities, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general Rafael Mariano Grossi.
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Before February 2022, ZNPP had access to ten off-site power lines. This is now reduced dramatically due to damage inflicted during the ongoing war.
Despite the plant’s being in cold shutdown since 2024, maintaining external power is crucial for continuous cooling operations at the site.
The nuclear power plant was disconnected from its only remaining 330kV alternate power line on 7 May 2025. It was dependent on a 750kV line, which was cut off on 04 July, forcing it to operate on emergency diesel generators for more than three and a half hours.
Ukraine’s energy minister blamed Russian shelling for severing connections to one of ZNPP’s six reactors. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s high-voltage line operator, confirmed their experts’ swift action in restoring service, as reported by Reuters.
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By GlobalDataThe IAEA, which has an on-ground team at ZNPP, reports that 18 emergency diesel generators kicked in, ensuring that critical cooling for reactor cores and spent fuel pools was maintained.
Grossi stated: “What was once virtually unimaginable – that a major nuclear power plant would repeatedly lose all of its external power connections – has unfortunately become a common occurrence at the Zaporizhzhya plant. Almost three and a half years into this devastating war, nuclear safety in Ukraine remains very much in danger.
“Our team on the ground will continue to follow the situation very closely and report on further developments there.”
