All external power supply lines to Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russia, are out of service on Friday, the UN nuclear agency said.
Ukraine blamed Russia for its bombing that cut off the power plant's power supply.
Europe's largest nuclear power plant - which is not operating but needs electricity to keep nuclear fuel cool - is now being supplied with electricity through diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
The IAEA has repeatedly warned of the risk of a disaster in Zaporizhia, as this nuclear power plant is located near the front line in the war in Ukraine.
All six reactors at the plant are shut down, but the nuclear material inside them still needs constant cooling, which requires a continuous supply of electricity.
"The Ukrainian nuclear power plant (ZNPP) lost all external power supply at 17:36 today. The ninth time during the military conflict and the first time since the end of 2023," the IAEA said in X.
"Currently, the ZNPP relies on power provided by emergency diesel generators. This highlights the extremely dangerous state of nuclear safety," she said.
Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galuschenko wrote on Telegram that a Russian attack had caused the power outage at the Zaporizhia power plant.
"The enemy hit the power line connecting the [Zaporizhzhia nuclear] plant, which is temporarily under occupation, to the integrated energy system of Ukraine," he said.
Neither the IAEA nor the Russian-installed management at the plant initially gave any reason for the power outage.
"The reasons for the outage are being clarified. The equipment at the plant is in a safe condition and under the control of the staff. No violations of safety conditions have been observed," the management deployed by Russia said./ REL (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
