Repairs to a backup transformer damaged by military activity near the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant were completed under the eighth localized ceasefire the IAEA has facilitated between Russia and Ukraine, strengthening the plant’s connection to the Ferosplavna-1 330 kV line, its sole remaining external power supply. The main 750 kV Dniprovska line remains unavailable, and the IAEA said both sides confirmed this week that new severe damage had been identified on it a few kilometres from the plant, with the agency now exploring options for restoration work. The IAEA team was also informed that a plant bus was allegedly struck by a drone on October 21, killing the driver, after which the plant significantly reduced on-site staffing.
Zaporizhzhia backup transformer repairs completed under IAEA ceasefire
Repairs to a backup transformer near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were completed under the IAEA's eighth localized ceasefire, strengthening the plant's sole remaining external power line, while both Russia and Ukraine confirmed new severe damage to the main 750 kV Dniprovska line.
Why it matters: The plant is down to one external power line, and the confirmed damage to its main line leaves the backup connection carrying the full weight of cooling safety until a restoration both sides agree to can be arranged.
Data as of IAEA Update 372, published October 23, 2026 and read in full in this run, is the sole source: the repair completion and the two sides' confirmation of damage are the agency's own account, and the reported drone strike on a plant bus is carried as the IAEA carried it, as a report made to its team, not a verified finding. Developing item.
Sources
- Update 372 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine - International Atomic Energy Agency - 2026-10-23