External power restored to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – IAEA

VIENNA (Reuters) – External power has been restored to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant two days after it was disconnected from the power grid after Russian shelling damaged high voltage lines, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Saturday.

Both the plant’s external power lines were repaired and reconnection started on Friday afternoon, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement.

Grossi reiterated his call for the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant to prevent a nuclear accident, adding: “We can’t afford to lose any more time. We must act before it is too late.”

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Andrew Heavens)