Power Restored to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant After Sunday Blackout

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant power restored on Sunday, hours after Europe’s largest nuclear power plant lost its last external electricity connection and was forced onto emergency diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom said.

FAKTA

• What happened: External power was restored to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Sunday after the Ferosplavna-1 power line was reconnected to Ukraine’s grid.
• When: The line went offline early on Sunday; Energoatom said it was switched back on at 17:41.
• Who confirmed it: The IAEA and Energoatom.
• Safety: Radiation levels at the plant and in the surrounding surveillance zone were reported normal, and all six reactors remain shut down.
• Still at risk: The main Dniprovska power line remains unavailable, and Energoatom warned that the threat of further outages remains.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Power Restored Late on Sunday

Energoatom said the 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 line was switched back on at 17:41, reconnecting the plant to Ukraine’s grid, according to Ukrinform’s report of its announcement. Reuters, citing the IAEA, reported that power had been restored hours after the plant lost its external supply and had to use backup generators for reactor cooling.

The plant had lost its off-site electricity supply earlier on Sunday after the Ferosplavna-1 line disconnected. The plant’s Russian-installed management said the line had been shut down by “automatic protection” and that radiation levels on the site and in the surveillance zone were normal. Watan News reported earlier on Sunday that the plant had lost external power and was running on diesel generators.

A Plant That Keeps Losing Power

The IAEA said the loss of power was the plant’s 27th such incident since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Energoatom counted it as the 16th complete loss of external power since the start of 2026.

The IAEA said the cause and location of the disconnection were not known. The main 750 kV Dniprovska power line has also been unavailable since at least 23 October, the IAEA said.

In early September, a local ceasefire brokered by the IAEA took effect to allow repairs to restore external power to the plant, which at that time had been without it since 20 August.

Why External Power Matters

The plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, does not produce electricity but needs power from external links to keep its nuclear fuel cool. All six reactors have been shut down, but the fuel still needs continuous cooling.

The IAEA said the site had fuel sufficient to run a limited number of generators for about two weeks. Energoatom cautioned that nuclear-safety risks and the threat of further outages remained while the plant was under occupation. The plant has been under Russian control since March 2022.

The restoration ends a blackout that lasted most of Sunday, but with only one external line in service and the main line still down, the plant’s power supply remains fragile. IAEA experts remain stationed at the plant and continue to monitor the situation.