Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant's situation 'perilous,' says UN agency head

The head of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency says the situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine remains "perilous" as it remains connected to only one primary power source.

In a release issued Wednesday, the IAEA said the last remaining 330 kilovolt backup power line to the nuclear facility, the largest in Europe, remains disconnected and under repair since it was damaged on March 9.

The plant's six reactors, which are in shutdown, need external power to perform safety and security functions, such as cooling nuclear fuel.

The nuclear agency said the plant lost all external power on March 9, when its primary 750-kilovolt power source was disconnected following reports of missile strikes across Ukraine. That forced the plant to rely on its emergency diesel generators. The line was reconnected to the plant 11 hours after power was lost.

"IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Gross said the situation at the plant remains perilous," the release said.

The IAEA said that main power line may be disconnected in the future for maintenance, but the agency said it had not been informed of when or for how long the line would be down.

"Nuclear safety at the ZNPP remains in a precarious state," Grossi said in a statement.

"If this disconnection from the main power line and repair work is performed while the 330 kV line is not available it will cause a complete loss of power and will make the plant reliant on diesel generators — its last line of defence — for the seventh time," Grossi said.

The plant was captured by Russian forces in March 2022.