- The bombardment did not have an immediate impact on the operation of the plant.

The director of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi (in the center, with a white helmet), during a visit by an agency mission to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

A new bombing at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant damages a power line

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear agency, reported on Wednesday that the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, in southeastern Ukraine and occupied by Russia since March, has been bombed again, damaging a power line reserve linking the facility with a nearby thermal power station.

According to a statement from the IAEA, which has had two inspectors at the plant since last weekend, the incident, which occurred on Tuesday, highlights "the significant risks to the nuclear safety of the facility."

In any case, the bombardment did not have an immediate impact on the operation of the plant, since it had already been disconnected from the electrical grid two days ago when another reserve line was turned off to extinguish a fire, the agency added in a statement posted on their website.

"But the damage to the 750/330 kilovolt (kV) line once again demonstrated the difficulties and vulnerabilities that the Zaporizhia nuclear plant faces when it comes to external power supplies," the note concludes.

The IAEA recalls that the plant lost connection to its four main external power lines during the conflict, the last one on September 2.

Of the three standby lines between the plant and the thermal power plant, one is damaged by bombing and the other two are disconnected, Ukrainian operational personnel told IAEA experts present at the plant.

In addition to the impact on the power line, the bombings have also caused damage to the plant's connection center, which the Ukrainian operational staff plans to repair.

The Zaporizhia plant has been in the hands of Russian forces since March 4, but Ukrainian personnel continues to operate the plant.

The IAEA issued a comprehensive report on the status of the plant on Tuesday, following a visit by a mission of 14 agency experts last week.

In the document, the agency's director general, Rafael Grossi, recommended urgently establishing a nuclear safety protection zone at the plant, to prevent an atomic accident in the middle of the war.

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