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The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was temporarily cut off from the power grid on Thursday after fires damaged the last working transmission line, state nuclear company Energoatom said.
Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for bombings and other damage to the facility, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Russian forces originally took control in March, but have allowed Ukrainian personnel to maintain operations.
An overview shows the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located in the Russian-controlled Enerhodar area, as seen from Nikopol on April 27, 2022. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
The Kremlin has resisted calls from Western nations to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the plant, but Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to open the facility to international experts after a call last week with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Almost every day there is a new incident at or near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. We cannot afford to waste any more time,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement on Thursday.
“I am determined to personally lead an IAEA mission to the plant in the coming days to help stabilize the nuclear safety and security situation there.”
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President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, and the two leaders called on Russia to return control of the plant to Ukraine, according to a White House readout of the call.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP)
Ukraine is heavily dependent on nuclear energy, and the fighting in Zaporizhzhia could create a catastrophe, according to Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency official and author of “Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America.”
“This is potentially a Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster in progress,” Koffler told Fox News Digital. “The nuclear plant has been bombed for days, if not weeks, with both sides, Russia and Ukraine blaming each other.”
According to Energoatom, three transmission lines at the nuclear power plant have already been damaged by Russian bombing. The fourth and final transmission line lost connection twice on Thursday but was back up and running, the IAEA said.
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Energoatom claimed last week that Russian forces “planned to shut down the power blocks and disconnect them from power supply lines in the Ukrainian power system in the near future.”
Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Paul.best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.