Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant suffers 16th blackout this year

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost power from its last operating 330 kV line, "Ferrosplavna-1," at 02:36 on November 8, marking the 16th complete blackout at the plant since the start of 2026. The plant's systems are now running solely on backup diesel generators. Energoatom reported that an automatic reconnection attempt failed, and the plant's own needs are currently met exclusively by reserve diesel generators. The company stated that this power loss poses a critical threat to nuclear and radiation safety, as a generator failure could lead to a radiation accident. Energoatom attributes the systematic power losses to the Russian occupation of the plant, stating that safety can only be restored if the plant returns to full Ukrainian control. In early October, the IAEA had called for a ceasefire to allow repairs to power lines.