Around 4 a.m. on March 9, due to Russian missile attacks, the last communication line of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) with the Ukrainian power system was cut off, the Energoatom company reported.
Now ZNPP is de-energized and has gone into blackout mode for the sixth time during the occupation. The fifth and sixth power units are put into a cold state, 18 diesel generators are operating to power the stationʼs own needs. Fuel for them remains for 10 days. If the external power supply to the NPP is not restored within this time, an accident with radiation consequences may occur.
Due to the missile attack by the Russians, the nuclear power plants in the territory controlled by Ukraine unloaded their power. As of 06:30 a.m., all power units provide a total of 4 700 MW to the power system.
- On March 4, 2022, the occupiers captured Energodar and the ZNPP near the city. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the third largest in the world. Despite the occupation, it worked in the unified energy system of Ukraine.