Update 343 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was successfully reconnected to a back-up power line, following repairs carried out under the protection of the fifth local ceasefire negotiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

The 330 kilovolt (kV) Ferosplavna-1 off-site power line was reconnected and restored to the ZNPP at 17:33 local time on Thursday. For 23 days, the ZNPP solely relied on the 750 kV Dniprovska off-site power line to sustain all essential nuclear safety functions. Before the conflict, the ZNPP had four 750 kV and six 330 kV power lines available.

"The restoration of the additional off-site power line strengthens nuclear safety and security," Director General Grossi said. The Ferosplavna-1 power line was disconnected on 10 February, reportedly as a result of military activity at the switchyard operated by the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP).

Preparatory works, including de-mining activities, first took place last week on 27 and 28 February. Following this necessary step, the IAEA team at the ZNPP was able to visit the switchyard and observe damage to various electrical components such as breakers, disconnectors, current transformers and cable segments. Monitored daily by the IAEA team, the repairs were completed on Thursday, after the systematic replacement or refurbishment of key components reusing other parts of the switchyard.

"Off-site power lines to the ZNPP were disconnected on multiple occasions over the past three months, including two total losses of off-site power, bringing the total to 12 since the start of the war," Director General Grossi said. "These repeated outages underline the importance of maintaining secure off-site power under the Five Principles."

The Ferosplavna-1 power line normally delivers back-up electricity to the ZNPP from the ZTPP switchyard through two separate lines. Recent damage to key components in the 330 kV switchyard prevented the restoration of both of these lines, therefore repair efforts were focused on restoring the line that connects the 330 kV ZTPP switchyard to the ZNPP autotransformer in the 750 kV switchyard - a line previously repaired under an IAEA-negotiated ceasefire in December 2025.

This work has now re-established the Ferosplavna-1 line as a source of back-up power for the ZNPP, however with reduced independence in the plant's back-up power options. The IAEA will work closely with the ZNPP to identify a solution for full restoration of the back-up power source.