Ukrainian nuclear plant’s longest power outage since war began is ‘critical’ moment

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Concerns are again mounting over the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been cut off from an external supply of electricity for more than a week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation as “critical,” stressing that backup systems were never intended for prolonged use. Here’s a look at what’s at stake — and what could happen if Zaporizhzhia suffers a total loss of power. Longest outage since the war beganThe Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, lost external power on Sept. 23 and is now in its longest outage since Russia’s invasion in 2022. The IAEA says the plant is stable for now, but any disruption to backup systems could quickly escalate the risk.