IAEA to Zaporischschja: Nuclear power plant only depends on reserve line

According to the IAEA, the Zaporizhia NPP has also been disconnected from its last main power line. It is still on a reserve line and continues to supply electricity. Turkish President Erdogan offered to mediate in the dispute over the power plant.

The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian troops, has also been severed from the last of its four main power lines. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) learned this from the Ukrainian employees of the power plant, explained IAEA boss Rafael Grossi. At the moment, however, the plant is still supplying electricity via a reserve line, which could also be used to supply the power plant itself with electricity in an emergency.

Due to grid restrictions, one of the two active reactors of the nuclear power plant was shut down on Saturday afternoon, the IAEA reported. Another pile is still in operation and supplies electricity, which also supplies the cooling and other safety systems of the nuclear power plant.

A delegation from the IAEA has been in the nuclear power plant since Thursday to get an impression of the security situation. While IAEA boss Grossi and a few others have already left, two employees of the Atomic Energy Agency are to remain on the site permanently.

A reactor shut down

The nuclear power plant is located in the city of Enerhodar, which is occupied by the Russians. The city administration appointed by the Kremlin had declared in the morning that the power plant would no longer supply electricity to the Ukrainian-controlled areas of the region. A power line had previously been destroyed by Ukrainian shelling. This could not be verified independently. It also remained unclear whether the Russian-occupied areas would continue to be supplied with electricity.

Moscow reports attack on the plant

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian troops tried to capture the power plant on Friday. Moscow reported dozens of boats with soldiers who wanted to land on the shore of the nearby reservoir and were attacked by Russian planes and helicopters. The ministry did not provide any evidence.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate in the dispute over the power plant in a phone call with Vladimir Putin, the Turkish Presidential Office said. Turkey mediated the grain agreement, which has since made it possible to export grain from Ukraine across the Black Sea.