A wave of Russian strikes launched overnight placed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in an “extremely dangerous” situation, according to an official.
Petro Kotin, the head of Energoatom, Ukraine’s largest power supplier which runs the site, said: “The situation is extremely dangerous and threatens an emergency.”
The strikes launched in the early hours of March 22 hit, among other targets, a power line that links the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe to Ukraine’s power grid.
As a consequence, the site lost connection to its off-site power line for hours. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stressed a backup power line continued to operate during this time.
Mr Kotin added: “If the last communication with the domestic power grid is severed, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant will suffer another blackout.”
Power outages at the plant, among the 10 biggest in the world, raise the risk of a nuclear catastrophe, Ukrainian and Western officials have warned multiple times since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Russian troops have been in control of the plant and the surrounding area since March 2022.
In the wake of the war, the plant is no longer generating power, but still needs a supply of electricity for the cooling of one of its four reactors.
A few hours after the attack, Ukrainian engineers said to have fixed the high-voltage power line supplying the plant.
Energoatom said in a post shared on messaging app Telegram: “On March 22, Ukrainian energy workers restored the operation of the PL-750kV Dniprovska external overhead line, which was damaged this morning during massive Russian missile strike.”
The Russian-controlled management of the Zaporizhzhia plant also said the line had been repaired.
Another major threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was posed in June last year, following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.
While the plant was not hit by the water erupting from the destroyed infrastructure, it was feared this catastrophe could still have repercussions on the site, as its cooling pond was fed water from the dam.
Zaporizhzhia is one of the most important cities in Ukraine when it comes the supply of electricity, as it is home to numerous power plants alongside the nuclear site.
Overnight, it was pummelled by eight missile attacks, which also damaged the city’s infrastructure and homes of civilians, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration.
A total of 150 Russian missiles and drones targeted Ukrainian power facilities overnight, according to Kyiv.
