Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said today, Tuesday, that the water level in the reservoir used to cool the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has decreased due to the collapse of the Kherson dam.
“Today, the dam at Nova Kakhovka was severely damaged, resulting in a significant drop in the water level in the reservoir used to supply cooling water to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant,” Grossi said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The lack of water needed for cooling … for a long time could lead to … the failure of diesel generators in emergency situations. However, our current assessment is that there is no direct threat to the safety of the power plant,” he said. added.
He explained that the main line of water that cools the Zaporozhye area comes from the dam, adding: “We expect the line to be operational over the next few days and that after that this water will start to decrease.” He also acknowledged the existence of a “range of alternatives” for the water that cools the facility, adding that these alternative solutions “are capable of providing water for several months.”
Grossi emphasized the need to keep the cooling tanks intact and prevent any action that undermines their safety, adding: “I urge all parties to avoid any steps that undermine the safety of the tanks.”
Grossi also said that he would visit the Zaporizhzhya railway station next week, “because the visit has become necessary,” as he put it.
It came Tuesday, when an explosion at the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, for which Kyiv and Moscow are blamed, caused flooding and raised concerns about the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
The Kakhovskaya HPP, like the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, whose water is used to cool it, is located in the Kherson region (south), part of which is controlled by Russian troops.
