The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost its connection to Ukraine's power grid at 02:36 on 8 November and switched to backup power, according to Energoatom.
The outage was caused by the disconnection of the last operational 330 kV power transmission line, Ferrosplavna-1. Attempts to restore the line automatically were unsuccessful, leaving the plant entirely dependent on diesel generators for its electricity needs.
According to Energoatom, this is the 16th complete loss of external power supply at the plant since the beginning of 2026.
The company warned that prolonged reliance on diesel generators poses a serious threat to nuclear and radiation safety. If the generators fail or exhaust their fuel reserves, nuclear fuel cooling systems and other critical plant infrastructure could stop functioning.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is Europe's largest nuclear power station. Even when its reactors are shut down, electricity is still required to cool nuclear fuel. A failure of backup power systems could lead to a radiological accident, with consequences potentially extending far beyond Ukraine.
Energoatom stressed that the repeated power outages are a direct consequence of Russia's occupation of the facility. The company maintains that nuclear and radiation safety can only be fully restored once the plant is returned to Ukrainian control.
