The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has again expressed concern over the fact that the last backup power line of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine remains disconnected and under repair.

The last backup line, 330 kilovolt (kV), was damaged on March 1 and remains disconnected and under repair, IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi recalled, according to a statement released by his services in Vienna on Wednesday.

“Nuclear safety at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant remains in jeopardy,” Mr Grossi insisted.

For three weeks, the plant is powered by just one external 750 kV line, according to the same source.

When it goes offline, the plant — Europe’s largest — can only rely on its “last line of defense,” diesel generators, to cool its reactors and other critical system functions, Mr. Grossi said.

“I once again call on all parties to guarantee the protection of nuclear safety at the plant,” Rafael Grossi emphasized for the umpteenth time.

The IAEA director-general also pointed out that staff at the plant remain under pressure.

“Decreased staffing levels” at the plant, “combined with psychological stress due to the ongoing military conflict, are affecting nuclear safety,” it said.

The factory in Zaporizhia has been effectively under Russian control for roughly a year, after Russian troops seized it in the initial stage of the invasion launched on February 24, 2022. The facility has been repeatedly targeted by the warring parties.