The UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday expressed concern over rising off-site power losses at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
The plant -- which is near the front line -- has repeatedly suffered power cuts, with emergency diesel generators providing power for crucial cooling functions.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the plant has lost access to external power 24 times -- half of these in the past four months, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
It briefly lost power on Tuesday and the reason was as yet unclear, it added.
"This trend, with the rising number of off-site power cuts... is deeply concerning and clearly not sustainable," IAEA head Rafael Grossi said.
The team at the plant also continues to report "hearing military activity, including explosions, several times a day, often at distances close to the site," the IAEA added, reiterating its call for "maximum military restraint".
Fighting has repeatedly affected Ukraine's nuclear power plants, including Europe's biggest, Zaporizhzhia, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022.
Zaporizhzhia's six reactors have been shut down since the occupation. But the site still needs electricity to maintain its cooling and security systems.
Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe by attacking the plant.
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