The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has lost its external power supply. The IAEA has warned of risks to nuclear safety
The Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost all off-site power for around 60 minutes on 26 April, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports. It was the 15th time the plant has been disconnected from external electricity since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The disconnection affected the 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 backup line — the plant's last remaining off-site power line, according to the IAEA. The site's emergency diesel generators started immediately and supplied the power needed to maintain essential nuclear safety and security functions during the outage, the agency said.
The blackout coincided with the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Chornobyl accident. According to IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, the recurring power loss events highlight "the still precarious nuclear safety situation in Ukraine."
Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — the largest in Europe — on 4 March 2022. On 14 April 2026, the plant lost off-site power for the 13th time since the full-scale invasion, with that blackout lasting around 90 minutes, LIGA.net reports.
In February 2026, Russian-installed collaborator Yuriy Chernychuk admitted that a plan to host a cryptocurrency mining farm at the ZNPP was developed during 2022–2025, according to LIGA.net.
Backup line down 60 minutes; main 750 kV line still offline since 24 March
The plant's main off-site 750 kV Dniprovska line has been disconnected since 24 March 2026, the IAEA reports. The agency says it is engaged in negotiations with both Ukraine and Russia to establish a temporary localized ceasefire that would allow repairs, since the damaged sections lie on overhead cables above the Dnipro River.
According to the IAEA, the team on site continues to discuss "the three recent loss-of-offsite-power events" with plant operators to understand the cause of each and what measures are being considered to limit recurrences.
On 30 April, an IAEA mission was dispatched to assess the status of Ukraine's electrical substations, the agency reports. The team will visit 14 substations essential for ensuring reliable off-site power. It is the seventh such mission since the start of the full-scale war.
Drone strike near the plant kills one; Grossi visits Kyiv on Chornobyl anniversary
On 27 April, the ZNPP informed the IAEA of a drone attack that killed one person in the transportation workshop, located a few kilometers from the site in the industrial area near the plant, the agency said.
"This incident is a stark reminder of the very real dangers posed when military activities take place anywhere near a nuclear facility," Grossi said. He urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and invoked Pillar 3 of the Seven Indispensable Pillars of nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict, which states that operating staff must be able to fulfill their duties "free of undue pressure."
According to the IAEA, the agency's team at the ZNPP last week also observed the test of an emergency diesel generator and visited two reactor unit containment and safety rooms.
For the Chornobyl anniversary, Grossi traveled to Kyiv and to the Chornobyl site, where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal. He participated in the G7+ Ministerial Conference and attended the official commemoration at the Chornobyl site, the agency reports.
Grossi and Shmyhal signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support Ukraine's reconstruction, enhance the safety of its nuclear power plants, and promote further development of its nuclear energy sector.
"Today, a new challenge is to repair the roof of the New Safe Confinement," Grossi said, referring to damage caused during the war. "The IAEA was there 40 years ago. The IAEA is here now. The IAEA will be here tomorrow."
The IAEA also reports continued deliveries of equipment under its assistance programs. Under the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to the Kherson Oblast (ISAMKO), DNA sequencing equipment, reference influenza strains, diagnostic test kits, and antisera were delivered to the State Scientific Research Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise in Kyiv. Photometers, microscopes, and pH meters went to the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Laboratory; pipettes, sample processing equipment, PCR tubes, and diagnostic instruments to the Cherkasy Regional State Laboratory.
Under the medical assistance program, the agency delivered a tonometer with corneal response technology and a first-aid full-body training simulator to the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, laptops and desktop computers to the Center of Primary Health Care in Slavutych, and a fully equipped ambulance to the South Ukraine plant during Grossi's visit. According to the IAEA, the agency has now delivered "four ambulances and nearly €3 million in medical supplies" to Ukraine's nuclear facilities since April 2023. The deliveries were funded by Denmark, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
