Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear plant has been knocked off Ukraine’s electricity grid after a fire caused by Russian shelling brought down its last transmission line, the facility’s operator said.
The news comes as the European Union prepares for a harsh winter marked by high energy prices as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The developments came a day before UN inspectors were due to report on their efforts to avert a potential disaster at the Ukrainian site. In a perilous mission, experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency travelled through the war zone to reach the plant last week.
By the time the plant went offline, four of six UN nuclear agency inspectors had completed their work and left the site, according to Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear power plant operator, on Monday. The other two experts were expected to stay at the plant on a permanent basis, Energoatom said.
The UN inspectors are scheduled to brief the...