Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant can still operate safely but U.N. inspectors have serious long-term concerns there may not be enough water to cool six reactors, spent fuel and emergency diesel generators.
The draining of one of Europe's largest reservoirs due to the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has compromised the plant's cooling system but it remains stable enough to keep working on a short- to medium-term basis, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency said on Friday after a visit to Zaporizhzhya.
“The breach of the dam has identified vulnerable points in the plant’s water supply chain and there is a need to adapt the entire system to the new situation," said International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
"But I could also see that the plant is taking concrete steps to address these challenges, stabilize the situation and enable the plant to ensure sufficient cooling water also in the future," he said. "The situation is serious, and it requires our continuous close monitoring. But, for now, it is being controlled."
Ukraine blames Russia for blowing up the major dam and hydropower station along the Dnieper River in a Russian-controlled area of southern Ukraine earlier this month, creating a huge environmental disaster that has flooded cities and homes and caused one of the world's largest reservoirs to start emptying.
Since Russia's expanded invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the two countries have traded accusations over the continued shelling near the nuclear power plant that has put its operations in danger. The dam’s reservoir, with about 18 million cubic meters of water, provided water for Zaporizhzhya's cooling pools.
Longer-term solution needed
Little more than a week after the dam and hydropower station were destroyed, Grossi paid his third visit to Zaporizhzhya in less than a year to inspect the impact of the catastrophic dam and reservoir breach. He saw the significant drop in the reservoir's water level but the cooling pond still could serve as a temporary backup.
More cooling water can be pumped from an underground water system and on-site wells, but it was uncertain how long they could be relied on. Grossi, who has repeatedly called for an end to the violence around the plant, said other inspectors from the Vienna-based agency would remain at the site to monitor the problems.
Earlier in the week, he presented a new IAEA technical assistance package to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv that includes the use of nuclear science and technology to provide drinking water, soil and health needs.
“It was very important for me to travel to the site again to review developments on the ground, including the plant’s ongoing and planned measures to manage the new water-related difficulties,” Grossi said.
“The integrity of these gates must be maintained to ensure that the plant has enough water for cooling the reactors," he said. "At the same time, it is essential that the plant implements a longer-term solution. The IAEA team can assist and advise in this work."
