IAEA: strikes damaged transformers near Zaporizhzhia NPP, Grossi seeks a truce for repairs

What the IAEA reported

On October 3 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X that a series of drone attacks in recent weeks had further heightened the threat to nuclear safety and security at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

According to the agency, drones struck the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP) on September 19, 20 and 27. The strikes damaged transformers that are vital for supplying off-site power to the ZNPP, which, as Ukrinform notes, has suffered frequent external power outages during the war.

In addition, an attack on September 22 reportedly disabled an off-site radiation monitoring station, reducing the ability to monitor radiation levels near the plant. Other strikes, Suspilne reported, targeted buildings in Enerhodar where ZNPP staff live, killing one person.

An eighth truce for repairs

To enable repairs at the ZTPP, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is negotiating a new localised ceasefire with both sides, aiming for it to take effect very soon. It would be the eighth such IAEA-brokered ceasefire to help secure off-site power for the ZNPP.

Grossi said attacks endangering nuclear safety and security remain completely unacceptable and must cease immediately. To prevent the risk of a nuclear accident, all sides must exercise maximum military restraint near such facilities and their power infrastructure, he added.

A diesel problem

A day earlier, on October 2, Grossi said that because of low fuel stocks at the ZNPP, the plant was considering reducing the number of emergency diesel generators kept ready to start automatically if off-site power is lost, Suspilne reported. According to him, replenishing diesel at the site is complicated by fighting nearby.

These generators are meant to start automatically if the plant loses external power, so their readiness is directly tied to nuclear safety.

Earlier developments

As Ukrinform recalls, on September 7 Ukrainian energy workers restored the Ferosplavna-1 power line, which supplies external power to the ZNPP.

Russian troops seized the Zaporizhzhia plant on March 4, 2022, during fighting for Enerhodar, Suspilne notes. It is still operated by Ukrainian staff under Russian control. An IAEA mission has been present at the plant since September 1, 2022, with experts from Poland, Lithuania, France and other countries.

Why it matters

Stable off-site power is a key condition for the plant’s safety, as the IAEA repeatedly stresses. Damaged transformers, a disabled radiation monitoring station and a shortage of fuel for backup generators together reduce the safety margin of a plant near which fighting continues. Whether Grossi can quickly secure a new truce will determine when repair crews can start work.