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IAEA: Cooling pond water levels decreasing at Ukraine nuclear plant

Aug 6, 2024,  https://www.ans.org/news/article-6266/iaea-cooling-pond-water-levels-decreasing-at-ukraine-nuclear-plant/

The water level in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant cooling pond continues to decrease, creating a serious safety threat.

“If this trend continues, ZNPP staff confirmed that it will soon become challenging to pump water from the pond. Maintaining the level of the pond is made more difficult by the hot summer weather,” said Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in an update issued August 2.

Zaporizhzhia—Europe’s largest nuclear plant—has been under Russian control since March 2022, shortly after the military invasion of Ukraine. The plant stopped producing power in September 2022, and all six of its units currently are in cold storage.

Water issues: Following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in 2023, Zaporizhzhia workers dug 11 groundwater wells to provide approximately 250 cubic meters of cooling water per hour to support the plant’s sprinkler ponds. These ponds cool all six reactors.

“Dwindling water levels in the cooling pond remains a potential source of concern, and we will continue to closely monitor and observe the situation at the site to ensure the availability of a sufficient supply of cooling water for the plant’s needs at all times,” Grossi said.

During a site walkdown last week, IAEA inspectors stationed at the plant observed proper function in the sprinkler ponds, with water at nominal levels. But any compromise to the availability of water to the sprinkler ponds might necessitate using the cooling pond as a backup source.

Safety concerns: The IAEA team continue to hear military activity at varying distances from the plant.

On April 30, they reported hearing over 100 rounds of gunfire in the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia, allegedly in response to drones flying near the plant’s training center. The “kamikaze” drones, some measuring 11 feet long and 8 feet wide, were observed in video evidence from Ukraine’s defense intelligence. The drones do not fire missiles but are equipped with explosives and can strike with precision.

Separately, the team reported three direct drone strikes on the plant on April 7 and April 9, resulting in one casualty. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Cherniak said the Russians are using space around Zaporizhzhia because the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine cannot return fire in a 1.5-kilometer zone around the plant.

IAEA report: In a letter from the permanent mission of the Russian Federation to the IAEA’s secretariat the following issues were highlighted.

• During a span of six days (July 22–28), 77 aerial vehicles launched with the aim of attacking and provoking ZNPP and the nearby town of Energodar.
• On July 29, Ukrainian armed forces launched three artillery strikes at the checkpoint entrance to Energodar, injuring three Russian Guard employees.
• The plant has enough diesel fuel to operate on emergency power for 19 days.
• Recruitment of personnel for the plant is ongoing, though the current number of employees is sufficient to continue cold shutdown operations and scheduled maintenance tasks.

Support for Zaporizhzhia: Starting in April 2022, the IAEA developed a broad assistance program at Zaporizhzhia. The agency recently organized four remote workshops with a focus on mental health. The sessions were geared toward supervisors, managers, and mental health teams to help recognize signs of distress and support those dealing with stress or trauma.

The United States and United Kingdom have lent support by delivering equipment and hosting workshops.

August 8, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Ukraine