The city that is home to most staff of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Enerhodar, has continued to suffer temporary power cuts, water shortages and nearby forest fires following reports of military activities in the area, adding to the many challenges facing plant personnel during the armed conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.
Over the past several months, a series of drone attacks has further fuelled deep concerns about the dangers facing the ZNPP, which is located on the frontline. In recent days, the IAEA experts stationed at the site observed smoke coming from nearby locations where they were told that such strikes had occurred. Earlier today, they also reported about the presence of fires near Enerhodar though the cause was not immediately clear.
The IAEA team was informed of an attack last Friday that damaged an electrical transformer in a sub-station of Enerhodar, leading to an hours-long power outage. The ZNPP also told the IAEA experts that shelling near the city yesterday impacted a water pumping station and another electrical sub-station, leaving the residents without tap water and electricity during the day. The ZNPP remained connected to its two off-site power lines and was not affected by this reported attack.
“These latest attacks have not targeted the nuclear power plant directly, as in April. However, continued military activity in the region remains a serious concern and it is essential that the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is protected to ensure nuclear safety and security,” Director General Grossi said.
The Director General reiterated that an attack last week that reportedly injured eight ZNPP workers at an electrical sub-station in Enerhodar had violated several of the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety during a conflict, notably one on protecting plant staff.
“The sporadic loss of basic living essentials such as electricity and drinking water is affecting the staff and families at all nuclear power plants and facilities throughout Ukraine, potentially impacting on their ability to perform their important nuclear safety and security work,” he said.
Further underlining the precarious situation caused by the conflict, the IAEA team at the ZNPP has continued to hear explosions and gunfire at various distances from the plant on a near daily basis over the past week.
The IAEA experts are nevertheless still conducting regular walkdowns across the ZNPP site to monitor nuclear safety and security. On Tuesday, there was another rotation of experts crossing the frontline to replace colleagues who have been there over the past several weeks. It is the 21st IAEA team at the site since Director General Grossi established the mission on 1 September 2022.
At the site, the IAEA experts are closely following maintenance activities that are important for nuclear safety and security, but have proved challenging during the conflict. Safety system maintenance is progressing in reactor units 1 and 6, and such work has also begun in the main transformer of unit 3.
Last week, the IAEA experts checked the status of some of the site’s 20 emergency diesel generators (EDGs), the last line of defence if the ZNPP were to lose off-site power. The IAEA team routinely attends tests of the EDGs and last week observed that the generator being tested started within the safety criteria.
The IAEA team also assessed the availability of diesel fuel for the EDGs by visiting the diesel fuel storage tanks, located outside the site perimeter. They were informed that there is currently 1300m3 of diesel fuel available, and that all fuel tanks connected to the EDGs were full; this is more than sufficient fuel for operation of EDGs for at least 10 days, which is the minimum regulatory requirement. The team was told that the site can receive additional diesel fuel in 24-48 hours.
Last Friday, the IAEA experts performed a walkdown of the ZNPP cooling pond and related cooling water facilities. With the current hot weather, the level of the cooling pond has been dropping by around 1 centimetre every day, and in recent days fell below 15 metres for the first time since the Kakhovka dam was destroyed last year. The 11 groundwater wells that were dug after the dam’s destruction continue to supply all the water to the sprinkler ponds, which is needed to cool the six reactor units in cold shutdown, as well as the safety systems.
The IAEA experts present at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and the Chornobyl site reported that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the effects of the ongoing conflict, including air raid alarms on several days over the past week.
The IAEA team at the Khmelnytskyy NPP rotated at the end of last week. Planned maintenance and refuelling activities are continuing at two of the three units at the South Ukraine NPP (units 1 and 3) and one of the four units at the Rivne NPP.
As part of the IAEA’s efforts to support Ukraine in maintaining nuclear safety and security during the armed conflict, the Agency arranged four additional deliveries of equipment to the country in the past week. It brings the total number of deliveries to 55 since the start of the conflict.
The State Enterprise USIE Izotop – involved in the management of radioactive material intended for medical, industrial and other purposes – received equipment intended to enhance nuclear security. The Rivne NPP took delivery of measurement instruments and Khmelnytskyy NPP filter absorbers, both of relevance to nuclear safety at the sites. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) received power supply units intended for its radiation monitoring networks and the analytical laboratories of its hydrometeorological organizations. The deliveries were supported with funding from Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.