Zelenskyy warns Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in critical condition, operating on emergency generators

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been running in emergency mode for the seventh consecutive day, relying on diesel generators after being cut off from the national power grid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.

“For the seventh day - and this has never happened before - Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been in an emergency situation. The situation is critical. Due to Russian shelling, the plant was disconnected from the power grid,” Zelenskyy stated.

He added, the facility is currently receiving electricity from backup diesel generators, which are not designed for long-term operation. One of the generators has already failed.

“Russia is preventing repairs to the plant’s power transmission lines and blocking the restoration of basic safety,” Zelenskyy said.

On September 23, it was reported that the Zaporizhzhia plant was cut off from external power supply for the tenth time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Two days later Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Grossi called the discussions “timely and important,” but no concrete decisions were announced regarding the plant.

Oleh Korikov, head of Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, warned that the ongoing crisis at the plant could lead to a “worst-case scenario” if left unresolved.