Repeated off-site power outages at the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP), together with reports of recent military activity in the nearby city of Energodar, where most plant staff live, underline the persistent nuclear safety and security challenges facing the site, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
On 14 July, ZNPP experienced its 22nd complete loss of off-site power since the start of the conflict. Ten have occurred in the past three months alone, underscoring the deteriorating reliability of the electrical grid. The latest outage was brief and followed the reported disconnection of the 330 kilovolt (kV) Ferosplavna-1 line due to thunderstorms. It is currently the plant’s only remaining available off-site power line; before the conflict, the ZNPP had ten such lines.
All 19 available emergency diesel generators started automatically to provide power for essential safety and security functions, including reactor cooling, and were gradually returned to standby mode after the 330 kV line was reconnected.
“The frequent interruptions in external power show how fragile the electrical grid situation remains for the Zaporizhia NPP, Grossi noted. “The plant needs a reliable and stable grid connection to maintain its essential safety and security functions, including in its current shutdown state. The repeated outages demonstrate the need for continued efforts to shore up the off-site power situation, and the IAEA will continue its intensive work in this area.”
In recent days, ZNPP reported several drone attacks in Energodar, where many plant staff live. On 12 July, drone attacks reportedly caused several casualties, including among ZNPP workers and subcontractors. On 13 July, further attacks reportedly targeted residential buildings, the city fire station, grocery stores and hospital, which remained operational despite damage to a service vehicle and diesel generator. The IAEA team observed smoke in the direction of the hospital. On 14 July, a ZNPP staff transportation vehicle also came under drone attack, with no casualties or injuries reported, ZNPP said.
“These are attacks on those who ensure the safety of residents on a daily basis and are ready to respond promptly to any emergency situations, including at nuclear power facilities. Such actions can be regarded as a deliberate attempt to reduce the readiness of emergency services to respond to possible incidents,” said Evgenia Yashina, ZNPP Director of Communications, adding that the repeated attacks on the fire and rescue unit in Energodar cause concern.
“Staff of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant continue to work under extremely difficult circumstances. Military activity in Energodar can add to the pressures facing them and their families. This is directly relevant to nuclear safety and the IAEA’s Seven Indispensable Pillars, which state that operating staff must be able to fulfil their duties and make decisions free of undue pressure. Once again, I call for maximum military restraint in the vicinity of nuclear power sites to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident,” Director General Grossi said.
Separately at the ZNPP, the IAEA team was not granted access to the nearby diesel fuel storage facility, which stores fuel for the site’s emergency diesel generators. The visit did not take place for security reasons, the plant said. The team was informed that the site has more than ten days of fuel available for emergency diesel generator operation.
The IAEA team also discussed radiation protection with ZNPP representatives. Based on data available to the IAEA at its headquarters, more than two thirds of the plant’s off-site radiation monitoring stations appear to not be transmitting data. The IAEA team at the ZNPP was informed that some off-site radiation monitoring stations were not transmitting due to power loss or damage.
Site representatives assessed the current configuration as sufficient in principle to meet radiation monitoring objectives, while noting reduced resilience and redundancy. The IAEA team will continue to assess the implications of the reduced availability of monitoring stations, including any potential impact on the effectiveness and robustness of radiation monitoring during an emergency.
