During Russian shelling on the night of November 16 and early morning of November 17, four electrical substations critical to nuclear safety were damaged, as reported by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
"The situation surrounding Ukraine's energy system is also a concern in the context of nuclear safety at three operating nuclear power plants—Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and South Ukraine, which require stable connections to the national energy grid for both power generation and external electricity supply to perform critical nuclear safety functions," Grossi stated.
The risks to these plants became apparent in the past weekend when Russian strikes severely damaged the country's energy infrastructure, just three months after previous attacks on key substations identified by the IAEA as vital for nuclear safety.
"Four of these substations and their power lines were again damaged by shelling on November 16 and 17, forcing Ukrainian nuclear plants to reduce their output as a precaution," Grossi said.
He noted that in recent days, Ukrainian nuclear plants have gradually restored power lines and increased electricity production, but on Thursday morning, output was once again reduced as a precautionary measure before being restored.
Additionally, on Thursday morning, the South Ukraine NPP was disconnected from two 750 kV transmission lines for maintenance while continuing to receive power from backup systems.
Grossi highlighted that growing instability in the energy system is causing increasing concerns about nuclear safety, affecting all nuclear plants. Before the recent attacks, IAEA teams had visited seven substations in September and October to assess damage from earlier Russian attacks.
"They documented significant damage at all visited substations, concluding that the ability of the energy system to reliably supply power to Ukraine's nuclear plants had significantly decreased. Ukraine is conducting repairs and additional protective measures," Grossi reported.
He emphasized the importance of adhering to seven core nuclear safety principles, one of which requires reliable external power supply to all nuclear plants.
