Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, has once again been disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid by Russian shelling, state-owned nuclear operator Energoatom said on Thursday morning.
The shelling is said to have damaged high-voltage cables, with the plant now being powered by diesel generators. “Yesterday’s shelling and damage to the last two high-voltage transmission lines linking the temporarily-occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP to the power system of Ukraine is another attempt by the Russians to reconnect the nuclear power plant to the Russian energy system,” Energoatom wrote on Telegram.
The nuclear power plant has been on the frontlines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since the early stages of the war. Ukrainian and Russian authorities have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the plant and risking the physical integrity of the power station.
During the assault to capture the plant, Russian shelling caused a large fire at the site of the plant. Later covert footage revealed that Russian forces had stored large amounts of military hardware and munitions near to critical infrastructure at the plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly deplored the situation at the plant, warning that the physical integrity of the plant had been repeatedly breached and that the situation was “untenable.”
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In October, following Russia’s internationally unrecognised annexation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian announced that it had formally taken over the administration of the nuclear power. Despite this, the plant is still staffed and operated by Ukrainian authorities.
Energoatom has suggested that Russia is preparing to connect the plant to Russia’s power grid, diverting power towards occupied Crimea and Donbas. Before the start of Russia’s invasion, the plant provided around a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity needs.
In a new bombing campaign, Russia is increasingly targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging the Ukrainian economy into blackouts and disrupting district heating ahead of the winter.
The loss of the Zaporizhzhia NPP would be a significant blow to Ukraine's wartime energy independence.
