Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame for attacks on the site over the past weeks, raising concerns of a possible incident.

"There are explosions in Energodar city, provocations continue, there are shellings by the occupants," mayor Dmytro Orlov wrote on social media, mentioning several city venues under attack and urging residents to stay in shelters.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russia had accused Ukraine of shelling around the plant.

There were seven strikes on the territory of the plant, Vladimir Rogov, a Moscow-installed official in Zaporizhzhia, said on social media.

Hours before Orlov's accusations, the International Atomic Energy Agency had called for a security zone around the Russian-occupied plant.

"The current situation is untenable," the UN atomic watchdog said in a report after it sent a team of experts to the plant last week.

At least two members of the team were to remain there on a permanent basis to ensure the facility's safety.

Russian troops seized control of the site in early March and there have been repeated attacks in the vicinity.