As a result of shelling, dry vegetation near the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) caught fire. The distance from the fire to the diesel fuel tanks is approximately 400 metres. There was no threat to the main infrastructure facilities and the radiation background at the station and in the surrounding area remained within normal limits. ZNPP said the situation was brought under control, and there were no injuries among the station’s personnel.
However, ZNPP noted that the station’s auxiliary facilities, including fuel storage facilities, are less structurally protected than the reactor buildings. “Such attacks go beyond all conceivable security design principles. A fire in the fuel storage facilities, where the station’s fuel is stored, could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences,” a statement says.
Regional Governor Yevgeny Balitsky told RIA Novosti that such shelling – which they attributed to Ukrainian forces – threatens a nuclear catastrophe. Zaporizhia NPP Communications Director Yevgeniya Yashina, said: “There is still a risk of new attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The situation remains unstable.” She noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces shell the surrounding area of the nuclear power plant almost daily. was transferred to the ownership of the Russian Federation.
She explained that the main threat is not the fire itself, but the potential loss of a critical fuel reserve. The emergency diesel generators are the last line of defence for the plant, and they automatically kick in when all external power sources are lost, which has happened in the past. Destroying the fuel would deprive the plant of any source of energy for cooling, leading to catastrophic and irreversible consequences.
Plant Director Yuri Chernichuk told ENTV TV that damage to the fuel tanks would result in the loss of fuel reserves, which would pose an additional threat and limit the ability of the emergency systems to provide power for the plant’s own needs in the event of a loss of external power supply. ZNPP has a regulatory fuel reserve for diesel generators of at least 10 days, but the plant has a larger reserve of 20 days.
ZNPP notified the IAEA experts on site immediately after the shelling. The IAEA confirmed that the mission members heard the sounds of shelling near the facility and saw black smoke rising from three nearby locations. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that this incident highlights the ongoing risks to nuclear security during a military conflict.
IAEA said the team was informed by ZNPP that multiple artillery shells had struck an area outside the ZNPP site perimeter around 400 metres from the plant’s off-site diesel fuel storage facility, also known as the diesel fuel farm. This information was in line with the team’s own observations of sporadic shelling being heard for about two hours. Smoke from locations outside the site was later observed by the team from the ZNPP’s main administrative building. The team has not yet been able to visit the area of the reported shelling.
