Zaporizhzhia plant enters fifth day on emergency power as Zelenskyy announces $90B arms deal

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, under Russian control, entered its fifth day operating on emergency diesel generators after the loss of external electricity, raising concerns about cooling and safety systems at Europe’s largest nuclear facility on the front lines of the war.

External power has been out for more than four days after the final transmission line supplying the plant from Ukraine’s grid was severed, according to Ukraine and the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The plant’s operators say the six reactors remain fueled but are in a so-called cold shutdown, with cooling and safety systems relying on on-site generators to prevent overheating. Ukrainian officials describe the situation as a serious deviation from normal operation, noting the plant has repeatedly been cut off from the grid since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Greenpeace Ukraine has warned that the emergency generators are the last line of defense during an outage of this magnitude.

Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has engaged with Russian authorities and met with President Vladimir Putin in recent days to press for steps to ensure safety and the possibility of restoring external power. The IAEA said it has repeatedly warned that any loss of external power at Zaporizhzhia could raise the risk of a radiological incident, given the plant’s reliance on electricity to run cooling pumps and other safety systems, even though the reactors are currently in a non-operational state.

Ukraine’s energy minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, said the plant remains in blackout mode, a condition she described as a significant violation of its normal operating parameters. She attributed the current outage to shelling that damaged the only remaining power transmission line connecting the facility to Ukraine’s grid. The IAEA has rotated staff through the site to monitor safety conditions amid the ongoing tensions around the facility, which has been under Russian occupation since 2022.

Greenpeace Ukraine released satellite-based analysis suggesting Russia may be positioning to restart at least one reactor despite wartime risks. The environmental group said engineers are building roughly 125 miles (201 kilometers) of power lines linking substations in the occupied cities of Melitopol and Mariupol, with construction beginning in December 2024. It also said Russia has completed a new water-supply system for the plant’s cooling pond and deliberately damaged a 750-kilovolt line that had connected Zaporizhzhia to Ukraine’s grid. The Associated Press could not independently verify Greenpeace’s conclusions. The plant’s status remains a focal point of the conflict, and the facility has been held by Russian forces since 2022, though Ukrainian authorities continue to describe it as part of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used a public briefing to unveil what he described as a “mega deal” with the United States, encompassing a $90 billion arms package that would be delivered in stages, along with a separate drone procurement arrangement for Ukrainian-made drones. Zelenskyy said technical discussions began in late September and that Kyiv provided detailed specifications of its military needs, including requests for long-range weapons systems. He asserted that the United States had agreed to provide the main points and that practical steps were now being pursued for implementation.

Zelenskyy also criticized what he characterized as dangerous drone activity over Ukrainian territory by Hungary. He said Ukrainian intelligence tracked at least one drone and alleged that Hungarian intelligence was studying activity on Ukrainian soil, though he did not provide detailed evidence. Hungary’s foreign minister responded by stating that Zelenskyy had “lost his mind” and accused him of spreading misinformation. Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has maintained closer ties with Russia and has been vocal in its opposition to some Western military aid components for Ukraine. Separately, Zelenskyy disclosed that Israeli Patriot air defense systems have been operating in Ukraine for about a month, with two additional Patriot batteries expected to arrive in the fall; Israel’s Defense Ministry declined to comment.

The Zaporizhzhia plant’s precarious status underscores the broader dangers faced by Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure amid ongoing fighting, as international watchdogs urge restraint and continuous monitoring. The IAEA has warned that even temporary outages at Zaporizhzhia could have cascading consequences for safety margins, and it continues to press for a secure, continuous power supply to prevent a potential radiological emergency. The plant’s six reactors remain in a safe configuration, but their cooling systems depend on on-site power, a condition that remains vulnerable while external electricity remains unavailable.

As the war persists, Kyiv and international observers stress the importance of protecting nuclear facilities from further shelling and ensuring reliable power to maintain cooling and safety systems. The situation at Zaporizhzhia remains a flashpoint in the war, balancing broader geopolitical tensions with the urgent need to prevent a nuclear incident that could affect the broader region.