A general view of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Photo: AFP via Getty Images
The external power supply at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was restored on Sunday, a day after it was cut due to shelling.
Why it matters: Zaporizhzhia is Europe's largest nuclear power station, where shelling over the past few months has sparked international concerns of a potential nuclear disaster.
- The plant has been in a cold shutdown for nearly a month, but on Saturday the loss of its external power source forced it to rely on its emergency diesel generators for necessary cooling operations.
- Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement Saturday that the generators had enough fuel to last 10 days but that the "lack of off-site electricity is a deeply worrying development."
What they're saying: "After almost a two-day operation of the emergency core cooling pumps powered by diesel generators, the operational staff is restoring the normal scheme of powering the plant's in-house needs from the energy system of Ukraine," Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear power operator, said in a Telegram post Sunday.
- "Our team at #Zaporizhzhya confirms the offsite power line lost yday was restored & #ZNPP is reconnected to the grid—a temporary relief in a still untenable situation. A protection zone is needed now," Grossi tweeted Sunday.