The IAEA has reported another dangerous situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: what happened
17 April 05:33
IAEA experts are investigating the causes of yet another incident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which led to a complete loss of external power supply. On the evening of April 16, the ZNPP was temporarily left without external power. This is the second such incident in less than a week and the fourteenth since the start of the war.
The incident was reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Power was restored approximately 40 minutes after the outage.
What happened at the Zaporizhzhia NPP on April 16
On the evening of Thursday, April 16, a new incident occurred at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, resulting in the plant completely losing its external power supply.
According to the IAEA, this is the fourteenth instance of a complete loss of external power since the start of the full-scale war. At the same time, this is the second such outage in the past week.
Following the emergency, external power was restored approximately 40 minutes later.
What the IAEA is saying about the incident at the ZNPP
The IAEA noted that the exact cause of the incident is still unknown. The agency’s team, which is on-site, is conducting an investigation and closely monitoring the situation.
Thus, the IAEA continues to monitor the safety situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant following yet another failure of the external power supply.
Why the loss of external power at the ZNPP is dangerous
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi emphasized that the loss of external power supply underscores the ongoing critical situation regarding nuclear safety.
For a nuclear power plant, external power is of critical importance, as it is necessary for the stable operation of systems that maintain the facility’s safety. That is why every such outage draws particular attention from international experts.
What was the situation with the ZNPP’s power lines previously
In early March, as reported, repairs to the backup power line were completed. This allowed the Zaporizhzhia NPP to be connected to two power lines.
However, as early as March 24, the plant lost connection to the 750-kilovolt Dniprovska high-voltage line and switched to the backup grid.
In addition, it was previously reported that on the morning of April 14, the Zaporizhzhia NPP was already without external power supply. At that time, it was the thirteenth such incident since the start of the full-scale invasion.
What the new incident means for nuclear safety
The new incident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP indicates that high risks to nuclear safety persist. The recurrence of such incidents, especially twice in a single week, demonstrates the instability of the situation surrounding Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
That is why the IAEA continues to operate on-site and monitor every new instance of external power loss that could affect the facility’s safety.
