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Monitored since 8 November 2026 | no updates yet
Key takeaways
- Zaporizhzhia plant lost its last external power line, Ferosplavna-1, at 02:36 on 8 November and runs on diesel generators.
- The IAEA says diesel fuel reserves can run a limited number of generators for about two weeks; the cause is not yet known.
- Russian-installed management cites automatic protection after damage, while Energoatom blames the occupation; neither account has been independently verified.
The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), near Enerhodar, lost its last external power connection on Sunday, 8 November. It is running on emergency diesel generators, according to Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear operator, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 line disconnected at 02:36 local time (Kyiv time).
Energoatom said an attempt to reconnect the line automatically failed. In a statement reported by Ukrainska Pravda, it said: "The plant's own needs are currently being met exclusively by backup diesel generators." The IAEA said on X that Ferosplavna-1 was the plant's only remaining external line. The agency added, as reported by Reuters and Anadolu: "The cause and location of the latest disconnection are not yet known."
Reactors, fuel and competing accounts
The six reactors are in cold shutdown and supply no electricity. Reuters reported that the plant still needs external power to keep its nuclear fuel cool.
The IAEA said existing fuel reserves can run a limited number of emergency diesel generators for about two weeks, Anadolu reported. Anadolu said the figure is based on information given to the IAEA team at the plant. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that the latest outage highlighted the plant's "continued precarious nuclear safety situation," Anadolu reported. He stressed restoring the grid connection and increasing diesel reserves.
The Russian-installed plant management said on the state-backed messenger app MAX that automatic protection shut the line down after damage. It said radiation levels on site were "normal." That is management's own assessment and had not been independently verified on Sunday.
Energoatom said the repeated loss of external power is a consequence of the occupation. It warned that if the generators break down or run out of fuel, cooling could fail, which it said could lead to a radiation accident.
Observers are reading: the fuel clock, the Dniprovska outage, the two blackout counts and the three indicators that will show whether power returns.
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Zaporizhzhia plant: what is established so far
What is established is narrow. The plant has no external power line, runs on diesel and has fuel for about two weeks, according to the IAEA, as relayed by Anadolu. Why the line failed is not known. Russian-installed management and Energoatom offer opposing accounts. Reuters noted that Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of military action that compromises nuclear safety.
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