Update 334 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyy and Rivne Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) reduced their power this morning following widespread military activities affecting energy infrastructure that is vital for nuclear safety and security, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

Several electrical substations critical to nuclear safety and security were affected. Substations transform and control voltage levels to ensure reliable power transmission. For NPPs, they are indispensable for maintaining secure off-site power supplies that support safety systems and reactor cooling functions.

“Once again, substations were affected by military activities, thus impacting nuclear safety and security. The electrical grid has become increasingly degraded and unstable during the conflict, posing a threat to the safety of the nuclear power plants,” Director General Grossi said.

The IAEA earlier this month carried out a 12-day assessment of the status of more than 10 substations critical for nuclear safety and security in Ukraine. The mission team confirmed that the grid situation is now in its worst condition since the Agency began monitoring substations in September 2024.

The objective of the mission was to assess damage, review repair efforts, and identify practical steps to strengthen the resilience of off-site power supplies to the country’s NPPs.

The growing degradation of the substations and the grid also undermines the Seven Indispensable Pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict, which Director General Grossi outlined in March 2022, shortly after the military conflict began. Pillar 4 states that “there must be a secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites”.