Power to occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant restored, ending month-long blackout

Ukrainian energy workers have restored power to Europe’s largest nuclear plant located in the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia region, bringing an end to a full blackout — the tenth since Russia’s full-scale invasion — which lasted nearly a month, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk reported.

“After completing repairs on the 750-kilowatt Dniprovska line, work is ongoing on the 330-kilowatt Ferrosplavna line. During this entire period, the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was maintained solely by emergency diesel generators,” Hrynchuk said.

The minister said that the blackout posed an unprecedented threat to nuclear and radiation safety, not only for Ukraine but for the entire European continent.

The outage was caused by repeated shelling and damage to power lines by Russian occupying forces. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian energy workers have restored the plant’s power lines 42 times.

Hrynchuk said that the only way to guarantee long-term nuclear safety is the liberation and demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and its full return to the control of the Ukrainian operator, Energoatom.

“I am grateful to every energy worker, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and all our international partners for their unwavering support and efforts to ensure nuclear safety,” Hrynchuk said.

The blackout lasted a full month until Sept. 23 as Russian armed forces disconnected the power line that was the plant’s last external electricity connection.