IAEA: Back-up power to Zaporizhzhia NPP restored

“Ukrainian engineers have managed to restore back-up power to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), a much-needed development after the plant twice over the past week lost all access to external electricity,” reads the statement by the IAEA Director General.

The ZNPP received additional fuel supplies for its 20 diesel generators, following the arrival of seven trucks. “The plant currently has fuel for at least ten days operation of diesel should external power be lost,” says the statement.

The IAEA team also said further preparatory activities to restart reactor unit 5 were continuing, and that work to also restart unit 6 was expected to get under way tomorrow. Restart will take a number of days.

As reported, the Russian military captured the Zaporizhzhia NPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, on March 4. Since then, the invaders have placed military equipment and ammunition on the plant’s territory, shelling the plant, its surrounding area, destroying power lines, causing power units to shut down, and blaming the Armed Forces of Ukraine for that.

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