Nov. 1, 2024, 8:29 p.m.
(Photo: Word and Deed)
A water leak from a pulse line has been detected at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), and repair work is underway.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that on Tuesday, October 29, it received information about a water leak in the coolant system of one of the reactors at Zaporizhzhia NPP. After assessing the situation, experts began repair work. Radiographic inspection of welds is currently underway to ensure their reliability.
"The Agency will continue to closely monitor this issue. However, we do not see any immediate problems for nuclear safety," said Director General Rafael Grossi.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, in the steppe zone near the former shore of the Kakhovka Reservoir in Zaporizhzhia region, near the city of Enerhodar. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the third largest in the world by total capacity. It consists of six nuclear power units of 1 GW each. On March 4, 2022, during the full-scale Russian invasion, the power plant was seized by Russian troops.
Earlier, Rafael Mariano G rossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that after the drone strike near Zaporizhzhia NPP on August 17, the nuclear safety situation in the occupied territory of Ukraine deteriorated. Grossi noted that he again sees an escalation of threats to nuclear safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
The IAEA also reported that during August 12-18, military activity in the area of the ZNPP was intense. Representatives of the organization heard frequent explosions, bursts of large-caliber machine guns and rifles, as well as artillery at different distances from the nuclear power plant.
On July 11, 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, including the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP. The document was supported by 99 countries. The text of the resolution demands that Russia "urgently withdraw" its military and other personnel from the territory of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and "immediately return" it to full control of Ukraine to ensure its safety. The resolution also calls on Russia to provide the IAEA mission with timely and full access to all areas at ZNPP so that the Agency can prepare a report on the nuclear safety and security situation at the facility.
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