IAEA Says Attacks Cut Enerhodar Water Supply While Zaporizhzhia Plant Uses Wells for Cooling

Overview

• The IAEA reported that recent military activity near Enerhodar damaged local electrical infrastructure and knocked out municipal water to the city and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
• Groundwater wells are currently supplying the water needed for reactor cooling and other essential safety functions so there is no immediate cooling shortfall.
• IAEA on-site staff have had only limited access to tap water and the agency has repeatedly been denied access to the plant’s off-site emergency operations centre, limiting independent checks on preparedness.
• The agency said plant personnel must be protected after it was informed that the ZNPP chief engineer was killed in a nearby drone strike, highlighting direct risks to staff carrying out safety work.
• Satellite imagery and reporting show contested attempts to link the plant to the Russian-controlled grid that were disrupted by Ukrainian drone strikes, reflecting an ongoing struggle over the plant’s energy connections and wider regional security threats.