Cooling towers of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). AP
As reported by the international organization Greenpeace Ukraine
On September 23, the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant suffered the loss of its last power supply line. Greenpeace Ukraine, in a study published on September 27 based on satellite imagery, classifies this as intentional sabotage by Russian forces.
According to the study, considering the location of the Zaporizhzhia NPP’s distribution substation and the direction of the 750 kV line, Greenpeace determines that the damage to the line occurred 2–5 km north of the station, i.e., along the path of the line that runs north toward the Dnieper River. Before the loss of connection to the NPP, no shelling or attacks on the transmission line itself were recorded. This context indicates deliberate sabotage by Russian forces.
“Based on the location of the Zaporizhzhia NPP’s distribution substation and the direction of the 750 kV line, Greenpeace estimates that the line damage occurred 2–5 km north of the Zaporizhzhia NPP’s distribution substation, which runs north from the plant toward the Dnieper River. Before the loss of connection to the NPP, there were no shellings or attacks on the power transmission line. This points to deliberate sabotage by Russian forces”
The organization also emphasizes that sites controlled by Russian authorities on the occupied territories could use the power outages to reconnect to the Russian energy system.
“The Russian Federation and Rosatom may take advantage of the current crisis, which they deliberately created, to try to restore connection to the temporarily occupied energy system of Ukraine in the south and east of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The next step could be attempts to start at least one nuclear reactor”
First of all, it should be noted: from August 2022 to July 2024 the plant experienced nine power outages; without external power, the Zaporizhzhia NPP was without electricity for 1 to 48 hours during those events. Now, power losses last about 120 hours (roughly 5 days).
Satellite images also captured the construction of a dam on the cooling pond channel of the station, which was completed in August 2025. Also, according to Greenpeace, using satellite data, a transmission line between substations in the temporarily occupied Melitopol and Mariupol was identified, about 201 kilometers long; a possible estimated completion date is July 2025.
Furthermore, on September 27, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga expressed the hypothesis that Russia uses infrastructural steps to increase the likelihood of attaching the Zaporizhzhia NPP to the Russian energy system and a possible restart of the reactors. Nuclear energy expert Olha Kosharna previously noted that the blackout of the last power line against the backdrop of Russia’s plans to integrate the plant into the Russian energy system occurs with a threat, but not an imminent nuclear catastrophe.
All in all, the situation around the Zaporizhzhia NPP remains extremely sensitive: the plant has been under occupation since March 4, 2022, and international experts and Ukrainian institutions continue to monitor risks to the country’s and Europe’s energy systems.
Other news you may find interesting:
- Russian President Putin met with IAEA Director Rafael Grossi in Moscow to discuss nuclear energy, non-proliferation, and global nuclear security cooperation.
- Russia submitted a procedure to the IAEA for supplying power to the Zaporizhzhia NPP amid occupation, raising safety and control concerns at the plant.
- Russian sabotage groups disguise as locals and Ukrainian soldiers to infiltrate Kupiansk, complicating defense efforts amid tense urban conflict and civilian risks.
