Update 364 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been without off-site power for more than a week and is currently relying on emergency diesel generators (EDGs) to provide the electricity needed for essential nuclear safety and security functions, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today, underlining the importance of ensuring the site has sufficient diesel fuel available.

The plant lost connection to its only remaining off-site power line, the 330 kilovolt (kV) Ferosplavna-1 line, on 20 August following military activity on the northern side of the Dnipro River. Since then, it has been operating several EDGs to supply the power required for its own needs, most importantly for pumps that cool all six reactors and their spent fuel pools.

In view of the extended loss of external electricity, the IAEA team at the ZNPP has been closely monitoring the diesel fuel situation. On Monday, the team visited most of the site's 20 EDGs to observe fuel levels in their tanks and to assess how long the available reserves could support the plant if off-site power is not restored. On Friday, the ZNPP reported that it now has approximately ten days of diesel fuel available on site for EDG operation, which is the minimum regulatory requirement.

The IAEA team was also informed that the most recent delivery of fuel to the plant's off-site fuel farm took place almost half a year ago, in March. A further delivery, planned for May, has reportedly been delayed because of frequent military activity in the area. The IAEA has not been able to visit this fuel storage since March 2025, with the ZNPP citing security reasons.

However, on Thursday and Friday, the team observed the transfer of several dozens of tonnes of diesel fuel from two different off-site locations near the ZNPP to the plant - both to report on the nuclear safety situation of the plant and to provide security assurances during the transfers.

Expressing concern about the diesel fuel situation, Director General Grossi said the Agency is closely monitoring the site's ability to continue relying on EDGs for an extended period.

"The availability of diesel fuel is of paramount importance whenever a nuclear power plant loses off-site power, as is the ability to maintain uninterrupted logistical supply chains to and from the site. The current situation once again shows why reliable external power and secure supply routes are indispensable for nuclear safety and security. Without the restoration of off-site power or additional diesel fuel deliveries in the near future, the plant could face a station blackout within approximately ten days," Director General Grossi said.

In this context, the IAEA is working to establish another localized ceasefire zone, which would be the seventh such arrangement negotiated by the Agency since late last year, to facilitate repairs to the Ferosplavna-1 line as soon as possible. If successful, the repairs would restore off-site power to the ZNPP. Before the conflict, the ZNPP had access to ten off-site power lines.

The IAEA team at the ZNPP has continued to report hearing military activity, including explosions, several times a day, often at distances that appeared to be close to the site. The plant has also continued to report military activity in the nearby city of Enerhodar, where many plant staff live, as well as alleged drone activity in and around the site.

The IAEA has been informed of three drone incidents at the site of the ZNPP earlier this week, underlining constant dangers to nuclear safety and security during the military conflict. One drone attack on 25 August reportedly occurred near the cooling pond, injuring two plant employees. The following day, another drone detonated on the site of the dry spent nuclear fuel storage while a third drone - also on 26 August - reportedly hit the sprinkling device of the ZNPP's power units system. Radiation levels at the site remain normal.

"Attacks that threaten nuclear power plant staff or strike areas related to the spent fuel storage or cooling pond are unacceptable and must stop. Even when there is no impact on nuclear material, such incidents carry serious risks for nuclear safety and security. I again call for maximum military restraint to protect nuclear facilities and the people who work there," Director General Grossi said.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, other nuclear sites continued to report air raid alarms and drone activity. The South Ukraine NPP reported air raid alarms on a near daily basis and detected eleven drones within its monitoring area over the past week. The Chornobyl site also reported air raid alarms on a near daily basis and detected two drones and one missile within its monitoring area over the past week. The Khmelnytskyy NPP (KhNPP) reported detecting one unmanned aerial vehicle within its monitoring zone last Thursday, when the IAEA staff at the site also had to shelter because of an air raid alert. The IAEA team at the KhNPP had to shelter also on Thursday this week.

The IAEA is continuing its comprehensive programme of assistance to Ukraine, delivering portable power stations to the Chornobyl site; dosimeters to State Enterprise USIE Izotop, which is responsible for the management of radioactive material intended for medical, industrial and other purposes; and power supply units, storage batteries, inverters, extension cables and heaters to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. These deliveries were made possible with funding from the Republic of Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.