IAEA: the second standby power transmission line to the Zaporozhye NPP has been restored

The second standby power transmission line to the Zaporozhye NPP (ZNPP) has been restored, reported at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“A second standby transmission line to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine has been restored, allowing the operator to keep one line on standby while the other provides the station with off-site electricity needed for reactor cooling and other important safety features during operation,” the agency said in a statement. “Both restored lines can receive electricity from the grid through the switchgear of a nearby CHP plant.”

The IAEA also clarified that the sixth power unit of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, which was stopped the day before, went into a cold shutdown state, like the other five, which means that the plant will need less electricity for cooling.

At the same time, the director of the agency, Rafael Grossi, stressed that the situation around the ZNPP remains unstable, and a zone of nuclear safety and protection is still needed.

On the night of September 11, the ZNPP was stopped the last working power unit. The shutdown of the reactor will not completely remove the threat of a nuclear catastrophe against the backdrop of ongoing shelling, the head of the Rosenergoatom concern, Renat Karchaa, said earlier.

During a special operation in Ukraine, the Russian military took control of part of the Zaporozhye region, including Energodar, where the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the ZNPP, is located. The IAEA mission arrived at the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP on September 1 due to regular shelling from Ukraine.

On September 6, the IAEA published a report on the results of its mission to the ZNPP. The organization called for an end to attacks on the station and the establishment of a safe zone around it. At the same time, experts did not specify who was shelling the object. The report also says that several events have been recorded at the ZNPP since the spring that violate the principles of nuclear safety, and that members of the delegation themselves witnessed the shelling.