International Desk | November 8, 2026

Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its external electricity supply again on Sunday after the Ferosplavna power line disconnected, leaving emergency diesel generators to support essential cooling operations, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Reuters reported on November 8 that the cause and location of the disconnection were not yet known. The main Dniprovska power line has also been unavailable since at least October 23. The IAEA said the site had fuel sufficient to run a limited number of generators for about two weeks.

The plant has six reactors and has been under Russian control since the early weeks of the 2022 invasion. Russian-installed management said an automatic protection system shut down the line and radiation levels remained normal. Those statements should be distinguished from the IAEA’s monitoring of the power supply and restoration efforts.

External electricity is important for maintaining cooling and other safety systems at a nuclear facility. An earlier outage was resolved after repairs made possible by a local ceasefire brokered by the IAEA in early September.

Source: Reuters, November 8, 2026. Featured photograph is illustrative.