The Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) has been reconnected to Ukraine’s unified power grid following a blackout caused by a Russian military action, Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy reported. Engineers restored electricity from the unified power system after a nighttime Russian attack damaged parts of the plant’s energy infrastructure. Power has also returned to the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the protective structure built to enclose the Shelter Object (sarcophagus), which was constructed to cover the remains of unit 4 that was destroyed in the 1986 accident.
“The radiation levels at the industrial site and across the exclusion zone are within safe limits. The plant has sufficient fuel reserves and backup power to maintain operations in case of further attacks,” the Ministry of Energy said. The ministry also called for an extraordinary meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors to evaluate the aftermath of the Russian attacks. This was agreed by Denys Shmyhal, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
The IAEA reported that one power line to ChNPP was disconnected after military activity damaged an electrical substation critical to its power supply, “a development that once again underscores the importance of reliable electrical grid infrastructure for nuclear safety”, Grossi said.
Following damage to the substation, the Chornobyl NPP site continued to receive off-site power from other lines, with the disruption illustrating the essential role substations play in ensuring the continuous supply of electricity required to operate key safety systems.
IAEA said the disconnection was one of several incidents in which military activity affected nuclear safety at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. Earlier one of Ukraine’s three operating NPPs was also forced to temporarily reduce its power output after reported damage to the electrical infrastructure.
“A deterioration of Ukraine’s power grid from persistent military activity has direct implications on the nuclear safety of its nuclear facilities,” said Grossi. “The IAEA will, as a priority, continue to assess the functionality of these critical substations.”
Grossi said earlier that IAEA is preparing another expert mission to Ukraine’s electrical substations amid ongoing strikes on the country’s power infrastructure. These substations are essential for supplying electricity needed for reactor cooling systems and other key nuclear safety functions. The mission will assess 10 substations critical to nuclear safety, following up on some of those visited in December 2025 and examining additional sites not previously assessed.
IAEA teams reported military activities or air raid alarms at all nuclear sites in Ukraine over the past week. The teams at the Chornobyl site and at the Khmelnitsky NPP were informed that military objects flying within five kilometres of the sites had been observed on 11 and 15 January, respectively. The team at the South Ukraine NPP has reported multiple air raid alarms each day and were informed that a military flying object had been observed approximately 10km from the site.
