After a tense month-long blackout, power has finally been restored to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, one of the world’s largest nuclear facilities and a persistent flashpoint in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The plant, located in the city of Enerhodar in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, and its fate has been a source of global anxiety due to the ever-present risk of a nuclear catastrophe should its safety systems fail. The blackout, which began on September 23, 2025, was the longest the plant has experienced since the start of the conflict, according to reporting from multiple international outlets.
The restoration of power was only possible after weeks of what International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi described as “complex negotiations.” Both Russian and Ukrainian forces agreed to a temporary local ceasefire around two specific locations on opposite sides of the frontline, allowing expert repair teams from each side to access and fix the damaged high-voltage lines. As Grossi put it, “Both sides engaged constructively with the IAEA to enable the complex repair plan to proceed.” According to the IAEA, this rare moment of cooperation stands out in a war otherwise marked by bitter accusations and relentless violence.
The main 750-kilovolt Dniprovska transmission line, which connects the plant to Ukraine’s national grid, had been out of commission since September 23, 2025. Its repair and reconnection on October 23, 2025, marked a “crucial step for nuclear safety and security,” Grossi announced. Work continues on the backup 330-kilovolt Ferosplavna line, which was disconnected in May and also runs through Russian-held territory. As of press time, the backup line remains under repair, with the IAEA coordinating efforts between both sides to ensure safe access for technical teams.
Before the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the Zaporizhzhia plant was connected to the grid by ten external power lines. By May 2025, that number had dwindled to just one operational line and one backup—a testament to the repeated damage inflicted by shelling and sabotage, which both sides blame on each other. Ukraine’s Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk noted that Ukrainian energy workers have repaired the plant’s power lines a staggering 42 times since the war began. “The reason for the month-long power outage was the actions of Russian occupation troops, who systematically shell and damage power lines connecting the Zaporizhzhia NPP to the unified power system of Ukraine,” Hrynchuk wrote on Facebook, underscoring the persistent danger posed by the ongoing hostilities.
During the blackout, the plant was forced to rely on its fleet of emergency diesel generators to maintain essential safety functions, including the all-important cooling pumps for the six shut-down reactors and spent fuel. While these generators are designed to serve as a last line of defense, Grossi warned that their use has become “an all too common occurrence.” The IAEA confirmed that radiation levels remained within normal limits throughout the outage, but the situation was nonetheless described as precarious by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The generators and the plant were not designed for this,” Zelenskyy said in October, calling the reliance on backup systems for such an extended period “critical.”
The Zaporizhzhia plant, with its six reactors capable of generating 5.7 gigawatts of energy, is a linchpin of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. For comparison, Estonia’s entire installed generation capacity was just 2.3 GW as of January 2021, according to an Estonian energy operator cited by Kyiv Post. The loss of Ukraine’s largest power plant has deepened the country’s energy crisis, which peaked in the summer of 2024 and has begun to worsen again as winter approaches. The blackout not only threatened nuclear safety but also deprived millions of Ukrainians of a vital source of electricity at a time when energy demand is set to surge.
The plant’s strategic significance has made it a pawn in the broader geopolitical struggle. It was reportedly included in a US-brokered peace proposal earlier this year, which envisioned the facility being operated as a neutral zone under international supervision, supplying power to both Ukrainian- and Russian-controlled areas. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denied that Moscow received any such proposal. The continued occupation and militarization of the site have fueled international fears of a potential disaster, especially as fighting has repeatedly come perilously close to the plant’s perimeter.
Since the onset of the war, the Zaporizhzhia plant has lost external power ten times, according to the IAEA, but previous outages typically lasted only hours. The latest blackout, stretching nearly a full month, set an ominous new record. Each time the external grid connection is lost, the risk of a catastrophic nuclear incident rises—especially if the backup generators were to fail or run out of fuel. “As long as this devastating conflict goes on, nuclear safety and security remains under severe threat. Today, we had some rare positive news to report, but we are far from being out of the woods yet,” Grossi cautioned, reflecting the guarded optimism shared by many international observers.
The plant’s troubles are not merely technical or logistical—they are deeply political. Ukraine has four nuclear power plants, but Zaporizhzhia is the only one under Russian control. Its status has become a symbol of the broader struggle for sovereignty and security in Ukraine. For Ukrainians, restoring power to the plant is not just about keeping the lights on; it is about asserting control over their own infrastructure and future. For Russians, maintaining their grip on the plant is a way to project power and influence in the region.
Meanwhile, ordinary citizens in Ukraine and across Europe watch anxiously, hoping that the fragile ceasefire zones established for the repairs can hold, and that the plant’s safety systems will not be tested again. The IAEA continues to monitor the site closely, and international calls for a broader demilitarization of the area persist. As winter looms and the conflict grinds on, the fate of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains an urgent and unresolved question—one that could have consequences far beyond the borders of Ukraine.
For now, with the lights back on at Zaporizhzhia, there is a glimmer of hope—but also a reminder of just how close the world remains to the brink when war and nuclear technology collide.