EU Calls On Russia To Immediately Cease Hostilities Around Zaporizhzhia NPP

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The statement was made by the spokesperson for the EU's External Action Service and reported by Ukrinform.

The EU recalled that last week, the Zaporizhzhia NPP again lost connection to its last external power supply. It is the 10th time since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine began. This is the longest and most severe outage, in particular as military activity continues to prevent the repair and reconnection of power lines.

“We call on Russia to immediately cease all military operations around the nuclear plant to enable the urgent restoration of power lines,” the spokesperson said.

Read also: Situation at ZNPP critical – Zelensky

The nuclear power plant is now only reliant on emergency diesel generators for the electricity it needs to cool its six shutdown reactors and other essential nuclear safety and security functions. A sustained loss of power could ultimately compromise safety systems.

The spokesperson stated that“the EU fully supports the efforts of the IAEA to facilitate the repairs of power lines, in line with the seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security”. This includes the respect for pillar 4, which states that“there must be a secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites.” The seven indispensable pillars, as well as the five concrete principles for protecting the ZNPP, must be fully respected. It is essential for further strengthening nuclear safety and security globally, the statement stressed.

“Russian attempts to illegally take ownership of Ukraine's ZNPP have no validity under international law. Russia must immediately, unconditionally and completely withdraw all its forces, military equipment and other unauthorised personnel from the ZNPP and the whole territory of Ukraine. Returning the ZNPP to the full control of the competent and legitimate Ukrainian authorities is the only lasting solution to minimise the risk of a nuclear accident with global implications,” the spokesperson stated.

As reported by Ukrinform, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is facing a critical situation due to a power outage. The facility is currently relying on diesel generators for electricity, one of which has reportedly failed.

The plant, occupied by Russian forces, has been disconnected from Ukraine's power grid for seven consecutive days, posing serious risks to nuclear and radiation safety.

On September 23, the last external power line to the plant was cut off. A backup line had already been severed by Russian forces back in May. Since then, the occupiers have refused to provide safety guarantees for repair crews from Ukrenergo, Ukraine's national energy company, preventing restoration efforts.

Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear energy operator, confirmed that the external power line on Ukrainian-controlled territory remains operational. However, Russian forces are deliberately keeping the plant disconnected, continuing a blatant disinformation campaign against Ukraine.

Photo credit: Kostiantyn Liberov

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