IAEA reports "serious safety risks" at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has reported that six of the seven power transmission lines of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) have been compromised, leaving only one functioning line outside the site, which poses serious safety risks.
Source: the IAEA website citing Grossi at a meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors in Vienna; Interfax-Ukraine
Quote from Grossi: "Only one off-site power line remains, posing serious safety risks."
Details: Grossi said all six reactors are in cold shutdown and none of them can be safely restarted under current conditions: "The cooling pond level has dropped to 13.4 m, nearing the 12.0 m threshold below which cooling systems fail."
He added that measures for isolating the intake channel provide short-term relief, but a long-term solution is required, such as the construction of a pumping station.
Quote from Grossi: "Ongoing military activity, including attacks very close to the ZNPP site, are deeply concerning, adding stress and risk."
Background:
- It was earlier reported that IAEA experts had been denied access to the newly constructed dam on the channel of one of the cooling ponds of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
- On 13 August, the IAEA reported difficulties in ensuring a reliable supply of water for cooling the reactors at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is temporarily occupied by Russia.
- "The ZNPP’s six reactors have been in cold shutdown since spring 2024 but still require cooling water for their safety systems, reactor cores, and spent fuel pools," the IAEA reported.
- On 10 August, the External Crisis Centre of the Zaporizhzhia NPP was damaged in a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia.
- On 4 July, Russian forces caused a blackout at the Zaporizhzhia NPP by striking a transmission line connecting the plant with Ukraine’s unified power grid.
- It was later reported that the power lines connecting Zaporizhzhia NPP to the Ukrainian power grid were operating normally, providing reliable external power to the plant to ensure radiation safety.
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