Ukraine’s three operating NPPs reduced their electricity generation following renewed attacks on the energy infrastructure that further endangered nuclear safety during the military conflict, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in his latest update.
For a second time in less than two weeks, the Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs reduced their power levels as a precautionary step during widespread military activities, while air raid alarms sounded at the three sites, Grossi said. Two of the IAEA teams deployed in Ukraine were forced to seek shelter.
The operating NPPs have a total of nine reactors, all of which decreased output. One reactor, at the Rivne NPP, was disconnected from the grid. The NPPs continued to receive external electricity, even though the Khmelntsky site lost the connection to two of its power lines.
“Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is extremely fragile and vulnerable, putting nuclear safety at great risk,” Director General Grossi said. “Once again, I call for maximum military restraint in areas with major nuclear energy facilities and other sites on which they depend.”
There were no reports of direct damage to the NPPs, but the IAEA was informed by Ukraine that the strikes once again impacted the electrical substations which the plants use both to transmit and receive off-site power. These substations, identified by the IAEA as important for nuclear safety and security, had been damaged in previous attacks, including in August.
IAEA teams visited seven substations – located outside the NPPs across Ukraine – in September and October to assess the situation following the August strikes, finding “extensive damage” and “concluding that the grid’s capability to provide a reliable off-site power supply to Ukrainian NPPs has been significantly reduced,” Grossi told the IAEA Board of Governors.
“The IAEA will continue to assess the extent of damage to facilities and power lines that are essential for nuclear safety and security,” he said. “The IAEA will continue to do everything in its power to reduce the risk of a nuclear incident during this tragic war.”
Meanwhile, New Voice of Ukraine reported that a drone defence system would be built at Rivne NPP costing $46m. Zakhidelektromontazh (Lutsk) had signed an agreement build protective structures at the Rivne NPP, according to the ProZorro public procurement system. The contract was awarded without an open tender, and the details of the project are marked “for official use”, meaning they are not publicly disclosed. The work, scheduled to be completed by 30 June 2026, includes installing second-level protective measures for critical infrastructure at the plant.
The company previously secured a $13.5m contract on in September for the construction of a protective structure at the RNPP. The announcement came after military action damaged four nuclear power plant substations, critical to nuclear safety, and their power lines.
