Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant currently relies on only one external power line for electricity supply

Alexey Likhachev, President of Rosatom, stated that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant currently obtains electricity through only one 330 kV external transmission line—Ferrosplavnaya-1—and that the instability of external power supply remains one of the main safety hazards facing the facility.

According to the company's press office, Likhachev noted that the lack of a second operational external transmission line at the Zaporizhzhia NPP increases the risk to the safe operation of the plant's units. Although the plant is in a shutdown state, its safety-critical systems still require a stable power supply to ensure the continued operation of equipment related to nuclear safety.

Likhachev explained that an incident this week further illustrated the associated risks. On August 1, due to the activation of the automatic control system, the external power supply to the Zaporizhzhia NPP was interrupted for approximately one hour. Subsequently, backup diesel generators automatically started to supply power to the safety-critical systems.

After external power supply was restored via the Ferrosplavnaya-1 line, the backup power system was disconnected, and the plant's power supply returned to its previous state.