Russian bombing cuts off electricity to Zaporizhia station, and the Group of Seven are discussing support for Ukraine

Electricity to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was cut off after a Russian bombing destroyed high-pressure lines, Ukrainian nuclear energy company Energoatum said Thursday, as G7 foreign ministers discuss coordinating more support for Kiev in the wake of recent Russian attacks.

The Ukrainian nuclear power company, Energoatum, said on Thursday that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was cut off after a Russian bombing destroyed the remaining high-pressure lines, meaning that the plant is now operating using only generators running on fuel, according to "Reuters".

She added that the station has enough fuel to run the generators for 15 days.

This is not the first time that the Zaporozhye plant has been bombed. On October 17, Energoatom announced that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was running on emergency diesel generators after Russian bombing had cut off its external power supply.

The state company added, at the time, that the backup generators started working after they were damaged before dawn, the only substation that supplies Zaporozhye with electricity from the Ukrainian network.

Energoatom said on October 17 that Russia was now targeting all substations that supply electricity to Ukrainian nuclear power plants, an accusation that Russia's state nuclear power company Rosatom has not commented on.

"In recent days, the Russians have bombed the entire territory of Ukraine and deliberately targeted substations connected to high-voltage communication lines of Ukrainian nuclear power plants," Energoatom said on its website.

Zaporizhia is one of four Ukrainian regions announced by Russia, but only occupies parts of it, according to "Reuters".

Supporting the energy structure of Ukraine

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven world powers will discuss how best to coordinate more support for Ukraine when they meet Thursday in Germany, in the wake of recent Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have caused widespread blackouts.

The Russian attack on Ukraine is expected to dominate the two-day meeting between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his G7 counterparts in the western German city of Münster. China's growing role around the world and protests in Iran will also be high on the agenda.

"This G7 ministerial conference comes at an important time for us," said a senior State Department official, noting that the group "represents a vital coordination mechanism" for orientations on the most pressing issues.

EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simsun said on Tuesday during a visit to Kyiv that the EU is exploring with partners ways to increase support for Ukraine's energy sector.

She said Ukraine needs specific equipment and tools to repair the damage to its energy infrastructure, adding that foreign companies should be urged to prioritize the transfer of sector-related equipment to Ukraine.

Russian forces took control of the Zaporizhia station in southern Ukraine, the largest station in Europe, during the short period of their attack on Ukraine nearly eight months ago, but it is managed by a Ukrainian crew.

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of bombing the plant site, damaging buildings and threatening a catastrophic nuclear accident.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is pushing for the creation of a protection zone to prevent further bombings. The head of the agency visited Moscow and Kiev last week.

On Wednesday, Russia confirmed its commitment to prevent a nuclear war, saying that "avoiding a clash between the world's nuclear powers is its first priority."

"We fully reaffirm our commitment to the joint statement of the leaders of the five nuclear-armed countries on preventing nuclear war and avoiding an arms race, issued on January 3, 2022," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russia, the United States, China, France and Britain issued a joint statement in January stressing their responsibility to avoid a nuclear war.