International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts present at Ukraine’s Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) have heard shelling almost every day and at one point were told to shelter at the site because of the potential dangers caused by continued military activity in the region, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in his latest update.
The IAEA team’s recent reports to headquarters in Vienna further underscore the serious nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant during the military conflict, at a time of increased speculation about imminent military offensives and counter-offensives in the region and elsewhere in the country, Grossi said.
“I saw clear indications of military preparations in the area when I visited the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant just over three weeks ago. Since then, our experts at the site have frequently reported about hearing detonations, at times suggesting intense shelling not far from the site. I’m deeply concerned about the situation at the plant,” he noted.
He added that the perilous situation on the ground meant he had to continue pressing for protection of the plant so that there is no attack on the facility and also that the facility is not used to launch attacks. He continues his efforts and negotiations with Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Since Russia took control of ZNPP in March 2022, the Russian national guard has been protecting the station and in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree formally transferring ZNPP to Russian jurisdiction under nuclear utility Rosenergoatom (part of Rosatom). A Russian Federal State Unitary Enterprise. Zaporizhia NPP was established by Rosenergoatom to operate the plant. ZNPP has been subjected to repeated shelling and drone attacks as well as several major military operations by Ukrainian forces to take back control of the facility.
Grossi said the IAEA team had also identified extensive damage to windows in the turbine hall of ZNPP unit 4 “in a location that appears inconsistent with being caused by the previously reported landmine explosions. The IAEA team aims at clarifying the cause of the damage”
Commenting on Grossi’s statement, the Advisor to the General Director of the Rosenergoatom Concern, Renat Karchaa, told TV channel Russia 24 that the windows in the turbine hall had been knocked out as a result of incessant drone attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). “The windows in the turbine hall are indeed broken. They were knocked out by the blast wave. But this is related to activity, using drones rather than artillery strikes," he said.
Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main (pro Russian) Council of the Zaporozhye region administration told Komsomolskaya Pravda radio that Russian military personnel defending the ZNPP had destroyed more than 70 AFU drones with anti-drone rifles. "As for drones: both kamikaze drones and drones with discharges, they fly constantly,” he said.
Karchaa denied that there had been any recent direct shelling of the plant. “As for attacks on the nuclear power plant itself, I can responsibly state that we have not recorded any strikes either on the plant itself or on the perimeter adjacent to the station, especially those that would have bothered the IAEA experts so much – direct shelling simply hasn’t happened.” He added, however, that in the surrounding area, shelling has never stopped. “They [Ukrainian troops] constantly hit the shoreline and get a response.”
He echoed the frequently expressed frustration of Russian officials that the IAEA has never identified Ukraine as the source of attacks on the plant. "With all due respect to the IAEA ... let's assume that they are concerned about the shelling, but then the question arises: who, in fact, arranges these attacks? No one but Ukraine can carry out these attacks. “Well, then let's apply sanctions measures against the Ukraine, which, is ignoring all the norms of nuclear safety.”
Grossi said in his update that, adding to the nuclear safety and security risks, the ZNPP continues to rely on the only remaining functioning 750 kilovolt (kV) power line for the external electricity needed for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions. Before the conflict, the plant had four such off-site power lines available.
A back-up 330 kV power line that was damaged on 1 March on the other side of the Dnipro River from the Russian-controlled ZNPP has still not been repaired, with Ukraine saying military action is preventing its experts from safely accessing the location situated in territory it controls to repair the line.
The nearby Zaporizhia Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP) operates the 330 kV open switchyard, through which back-up power has in the past been provided to the ZNPP. The Russian Federation reported last month that Rosatom was working to remove damaged equipment from the open switchyard, with the aim of restoring three 330 kV lines to the grid system in currently Russian-controlled territory. Grossi said the IAEA team will access the site to assess the situation.
The IAEA team has also reported that the current situation at the ZNPP is having a significant impact on the plant’s maintenance capability. Plant management informed the IAEA experts that the scope of maintenance performed during outages on all units in 2022 was reduced compared to the planned scope due to reduced maintenance staff, absence of external contractors who perform a significant part of the work, and a lack of spare parts needed for the maintenance, including critical components.
ZNPP currently has only about a quarter of its regular maintenance staff available. New staff are being hired but it will take some time until they are fully trained. The plant said a substantial list of required spare parts has recently been submitted to Rosatom.
As a result of the significant reduction of staff, the ZNPP currently does not have a systematic maintenance and in-service inspection schedule. Before restarting any of the reactor units, the site is considering obtaining advice from an engineering organisation within Rosatom that will assess the status of the plant and provide recommendations for all structures, systems and components important to safety regarding their maintenance or any necessary replacement before operation. The site considers that this maintenance/replacement work may be undertaken using the services of a centralised Rosenergoatom company that is capable of performing these types of maintenance tasks.
“This shows again the continuing detrimental impact that the current situation on the site is having on the seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security, in this case pillars two and five on safety and security systems and equipment and logistical supply chain,” Grossi said.
On a more positive note, the water level in the Kakhovska Reservoir – which provides water for ZNPP reactor cooling – has gradually been increasing over the past two months and has now returned to normal level, 16.2 metres.
As a result of the warmer weather, the operator has started to put reactor 6 in cold shutdown, leaving only unit 5 in hot shutdown to produce hot water and steam for the site. The two reactors were in hot shutdown during the winter to provide steam and heating to the ZNPP as well as heating to the nearby city of Enerhodar, where many plant personnel live, IAEA said.
This was confirmed by the ZNPP website. “In connection with the end of the heating season in the city of Energodar, the leadership of the Zaporizhia NPP decided to transfer the reactor unit 6 to the state of cold shutdown.” The plant gave a general update on the situation.
“Currently, unit 1 is undergoing scheduled repair and the reactor is in cold shutdown. Unit 3 is undergoing scheduled repair and the reactor is “awaiting repair”. Units 2 and 4 are on standby with the reactors in cold shutdown. Unit 5 is on standby with the reactor in hot shutdown, providing, heat for the station’s own needs. “After the shutdown of the four main circulation pumps at unit 6, the released capacities will be redistributed to ensure the operation of the plant’s hydraulic structures.”
Image: Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (courtesy of Rosatom)
