IAEA warns of risks at Chernobyl and reports temporary blackout at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The Facts
- On 14 April, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost all external power after its last remaining external power line was disconnected.
- The 14 April outage at Zaporizhzhia was the 13th time the plant had lost all external power since the full-scale war began.
- Emergency diesel generators automatically started at Zaporizhzhia to maintain essential safety functions during the blackout.
- External power to Zaporizhzhia was later restored through the 330-kV Ferrosplavna-1 line after about 90 minutes.
- The IAEA said it was consulting both sides about a local ceasefire to allow repairs to another power line serving Zaporizhzhia.
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the repeated loss of off-site power at Zaporizhzhia highlights nuclear safety risks during the conflict.
- Ukraine said in February 2025 that a Russian explosive drone struck and damaged the New Safe Confinement shelter at Chernobyl, and a fire there was later extinguished.
Context
What happened at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant?
The IAEA said Zaporizhzhia lost all off-site power on the morning of 14 April after its last external line went down. Emergency diesel generators were used to power safety systems, and electricity was later restored through one line after roughly 90 minutes Deutsche Welle,LB.ua,УКРІНФОРМ.
Why does losing external power matter at a nuclear plant?
When off-site power is lost, the plant must rely on backup diesel generators to keep essential safety functions running. The IAEA said these repeated outages at Zaporizhzhia underline ongoing nuclear safety risks during the conflict Deutsche Welle,ТСН.ua,Радіо Свобо….
What is the concern at Chernobyl?
Newsweek reported that a new warning said damage to Chernobyl’s New Safe Confinement could raise the risk of structural failure and reduce its effectiveness in preventing radiation from escaping. The same report said Ukraine had accused Russia of a February 2025 drone strike on the shelter, while Russia denied targeting the site Newsweek.
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