Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the bombing destroyed the switching station of a nearby thermal power station. The plant has been supplying power to the nuclear facility whenever its normal supply lines have been cut over the past three weeks. The thermal unit also powered the surrounding area, which was plunged into darkness. Local Ukrainian officials said work was underway to restore the connection, which has been disrupted several times this week. Grossi, who said he had been briefed on the situation by IAEA representatives at the plant, called for “the immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area.” “This is an unsustainable situation and it is becoming more and more precarious,” he said, without assigning responsibility for the bombings. Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling near Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine and within the perimeter of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which has six reactors. The heat supply has been interrupted and restored several times this week, and Enerhodar, the nearby town, has suffered several complete blackouts. When the thermal supply has been cut off, the plant has relied on its only remaining active reactor for the power needed for cooling and other safety functions. This method is designed to provide power for only a few hours at a time. Diesel generators are used as a last resort. The continued destruction of the thermal power supply has led Ukraine to consider shutting down the remaining reactor, Grossi said. Ukraine “not anymore [has] confidence in restoring power away from home,” he said. Grossi said that if Ukraine decides not to restore off-site power, the entire power plant would rely on emergency diesel generators to ensure supplies for nuclear safety and security functions. “As a consequence, the operator will not be able to restart the reactors unless off-site power is reliably restored,” he said. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The exiled mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, said on Friday that work was underway to repair the distributor and restore supply from the thermal plant to the town, most of which is still experiencing blackouts. The development came as diplomats from Canada and Poland prepare to submit a draft resolution for a vote by the IAEA’s governing board, according to Reuters. The IAEA acts as the international nuclear watchdog under the United Nations. The draft text, seen by Reuters, implores Russia to abandon the power plant and give control of the plant to the relevant authorities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. The text is expected to be voted on, according to diplomats cited by Reuters.
