IAEA Monitors Repairs Restoring Power Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Repairs to an external power line roughly three kilometres from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant were completed under a locally brokered ceasefire and with an IAEA team on site to monitor the operation, the agency said on Sunday. The work reconnected the Ferosplavna 1 external line, which had been cut since 7 May 2025, restoring at least one backup path for grid electricity to reach the plant.

Technicians first secured the area by removing explosive hazards, and then repaired a damaged cable between two pylons before rejoining the line to the network. The IAEA described the sequence as essential to preventing a nuclear accident as hostilities continue in the region and said the restored connection provided the plant with access to backup grid power for the first time in roughly six months.

The agency said it had brokered the localized ceasefire after intensive engagement with both sides. An IAEA update noted that the site had suffered repeated losses of off site connection during the conflict, including a complete loss of off site power on Sept. 23, and that the plant had lost its link to the grid on multiple occasions. The update recorded that the facility’s connection had been lost for the tenth time during the military conflict, underscoring chronic vulnerability to interruptions in external electricity.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi emphasized the diplomatic effort behind the operation and the stakes for nuclear safety. He said, "Immediately after the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost all off site power on Sept. 23, we began working closely with both the Russian Federation and Ukraine to enable the repairs of both power lines, which are indispensable for being able to maintain nuclear safety and security at the site during this devastating war." He later described the reconnection as a positive step while warning that conditions remain fragile, saying, "It is a good day for nuclear safety and security, although the overall situation remains highly precarious."

Accounts of the timing and scope of the work varied, with some reports portraying the operation as beginning and expected to last several days, and others describing technicians repairing and rejoining the line within a single day. All sources converge on the central facts that the IAEA brokered a ceasefire, monitored technicians on site, and that at least one previously severed external power line has been reconnected.

The repairs lower the immediate probability of a catastrophic power loss that could imperil reactor cooling and safety systems, but the IAEA stressed that additional repairs and sustained secure access to multiple independent grid connections will be necessary to reduce long term risk. The agency said it will continue consultations with the Russian Federation and Ukraine and maintain its monitoring presence to ensure the work can proceed and the restored connections remain operational amid continuing hostilities.