At the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, water supply problems for cooling the six cold-shutdown reactors have sharply increased. The IAEA warns: in hot weather and high evaporation, the situation could escalate into a crisis dangerous for all of Europe. This was reported by the Ministry of Energy, writes UNN.
Details
At the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which has been under the control of Russian military since spring 2024, international experts are recording an alarming deterioration of conditions for the safe operation of reactors. As reported by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, over the past two weeks, difficulties with supplying cooling water for the six power units and their safety systems have increased. This is especially critical on hot days when evaporation from reservoirs occurs much faster.
Despite the reactors being in a cold shutdown state, they still require uninterrupted cooling – both for the active zones and for the spent fuel storage pools. In addition, IAEA inspectors recorded smoke and burnt trees near the plant's cooling towers, which may indicate recent fires.
The situation at the ZNPP is worsening against the backdrop of constant air raid alerts, which sound almost daily at all Ukrainian nuclear facilities. In particular, the IAEA team at the Khmelnytskyi NPP had to interrupt their work and go to a shelter last week.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk called the occupiers' actions irresponsible and dangerous, emphasizing that any provocations in the ZNPP area could have unpredictable and catastrophic consequences.
The only way to restore nuclear safety is the complete demilitarization of the plant and its return under Ukraine's control, Hrynchuk stated, calling on the international community to further pressure Russia.
Recall
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that a fire on Tuesday, August 12, near the cooling towers of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) did not affect radiation levels and posed no threat to nuclear safety.