IAEA warns of fragile nuclear safety after latest power loss at Zaporizhzhia plant

VIENNA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on Friday lost its off-site power supply for the 21st time since the Ukraine crisis, underscoring the vulnerability of the plant's nuclear safety.

The outage occurred after the plant lost its connection to the 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 transmission line, the IAEA said in its post on X.

According to the IAEA team stationed at the site, military activity triggered the electrical protection systems on transmission lines linking the ZNPP to the Ferosplavna-1 line.

Following the loss of off-site power, the plant's emergency diesel generators automatically started operating to maintain electricity for reactor cooling systems and other essential nuclear safety functions, the IAEA said.

"The latest loss of off-site power again highlights the extreme fragility of nuclear safety at the plant and the need for maximum military restraint to help prevent a nuclear accident," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.

As one of Europe's largest nuclear facilities, the power plant has repeatedly experienced disruptions of external power supply since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis. Enditem