Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant now without offsite power for six days, Grossi says

Sept 29 (Reuters) - The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine has now been without offsite power for six days, the U.N. atomic watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.

The plant in southeastern Ukraine has been under Russian control since the early weeks of the war, and each side has repeatedly accused the other of shelling it and jeopardising nuclear safety.

Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, wrote on X that he had met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Warsaw and exchanged views about the plant. He added that the IAEA was working to facilitate the restoration of power.

UKRAINE WANTS TEMPORARY IAEA STEWARDSHIP OF PLANT

Oleh Korikov, head of Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, said in a statement that the lack of external power posed "major threats to nuclear and radiation safety" and called for efforts to restore it quickly.

The IAEA said the external power lines supplying the plant came down last week for the 10th time in the conflict and emergency diesel generators were brought into service.

The lines supply electricity vital to cooling its reactors' fuel and preventing a meltdown.

Sybiha, writing about his meeting with Grossi on X, said Russia had "stolen the Ukrainian nuclear power plant and is trying to forcibly integrate it into its grid despite the growing risk of a nuclear incident. We agreed that the world cannot allow this."

He said the "only realistic option" was to grant the IAEA temporary stewardship over the plant.