"Atomic Energy": Fire at Ukrainian Power Station Due to Military Activity

SadaNews - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN affiliate, announced late on Friday that Ukrainian authorities informed it of a fire outbreak at a substation due to military activity, leading to a partial power cut at a nuclear power station from external sources.

The agency reported that firefighters are working to extinguish the fire at the Dniprovska electrical substation, which operates at a voltage of 750 kilovolts. Additionally, the agency stated on the social media platform "X": "As a result, an operating nuclear power plant, the South Ukraine plant, has been partially disconnected from external power supply at the request of the grid operator." The agency continued, "Firefighters are currently being deployed at the substation to extinguish the fire."

The statement did not provide any details regarding the nature of the military activity. The IAEA's Director General Rafael Grossi was quoted expressing his "grave concern," adding that "such substations, which are critical for nuclear safety, must never be targeted."

The Dniprovska substation provides external power to the South Ukraine plant as well as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was seized by Russia in the weeks following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.