EU calls on Russia to cease all military operations around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant so power lines can be restored 

On 30 September, the European Union called on Russia immediately to cease all military operations around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to enable the urgent restoration of power lines.

Last week, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) again lost connection to its last external power supply – the 10th time since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began. 

The EU said this was, “the longest and most severe outage, in particular as military activity continues to prevent the repair and reconnection of power lines”. 

According to the EU, the nuclear power plant is now only reliant on emergency diesel generators for the electricity it needs to cool its six shutdown reactors and other essential nuclear safety and security functions. “A sustained loss of power could ultimately compromise safety systems,” the EU said.

The EU fully supports the efforts of the IAEA to facilitate the repairs of power lines, in line with the seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security, as set out by IAEA Director General. This includes the respect for pillar 4, which states that “there must be a secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites”. 

The EU insists that Russian attempts to illegally take ownership of Ukraine’s ZNPP have no validity under international law and that Russia must immediately, unconditionally and completely withdraw all its forces, military equipment and other unauthorised personnel from the ZNPP and the whole territory of Ukraine. 

“Returning the ZNPP to the full control of the competent and legitimate Ukrainian authorities is the only lasting solution to minimise the risk of a nuclear accident with global implications,” the EU press release concluded.

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Press release