The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine faces the risk of a total blackout, as its external power supply has been cut for over a week, forcing it to rely on emergency diesel generators with only about 10 days' worth of fuel remaining.

In a statement on the 29th local time, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated, "It is crucial to secure sufficient diesel fuel at the plant site," highlighting the growing concerns.

The Zaporizhzhia plant lost connection to its last remaining 330-kilovolt (kV) Ferroplavna-1 external power line on the 20th due to military activity north of the Dnipro River.

Since then, the plant has been operating multiple emergency diesel generators (EDGs) to supply power to essential pumps that cool the six reactors and spent fuel pools.

Following inspections by the IAEA on-site expert team regarding the diesel fuel situation amid the prolonged external power outage, it was found that as of the 23rd, the plant had only about 10 days' worth of diesel fuel stocked, which is the regulatory minimum requirement.

The fuel supply chain also remains disrupted.

The last delivery of fuel to the external storage facility took place in March, while an additional delivery scheduled for May was delayed due to frequent combat engagements.

Furthermore, citing security reasons, the Zaporizhzhia plant has denied the IAEA expert team access to the fuel storage facility since March 2025.

Director General Grossi expressed concern, stating, "If external power is not restored or additional diesel fuel is not delivered in the near future, the plant could face a complete blackout within about 10 days."

Accordingly, the IAEA is conducting negotiations to establish a seventh localized nuclear safety and security protection zone, an initiative that has been pursued since late last year to facilitate power line repair work.

Along with the power crisis, direct military threats around the nuclear plant persist.

According to the IAEA, the on-site expert team hears explosions near the plant multiple times every day.

In particular, three drone incidents have occurred within the Zaporizhzhia plant site this week.

On the 25th, a drone attack near the cooling pond injured two plant workers, and on the 26th, a drone exploded on the site of the dry spent nuclear fuel storage facility.

On the same day, another drone reportedly struck the sprinkler system of one of the plant's power units.

However, radiation levels inside the plant remain at normal levels.

Director General Grossi criticized the attacks, stating, "Acts that threaten plant personnel or target areas near spent fuel storage and cooling ponds are unacceptable and must cease immediately. Even if there is no release of radioactive material, this poses a severe threat to nuclear safety."

Beyond the Zaporizhzhia plant, a heightened sense of crisis persists at other nuclear facilities across Ukraine, including the South Ukraine, Chornobyl, and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants, where air raid sirens sound and drones are detected almost daily.

The IAEA expert team stationed at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant was even forced to take shelter in a bunker due to an air raid alert.

Meanwhile, the IAEA is continuing a comprehensive assistance program, funded by South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, which includes delivering portable generators to the Chornobyl site and providing dosimeters, batteries, and inverters to Ukraine's nuclear regulatory authorities.

(Photo: Getty Images)