Update on Zaporizhzhia

“Immediately after the plant last month lost all off-site power, the IAEA has been engaging closely with both sides to help create the necessary security conditions on the ground so that their technicians can carry out repair work that is of crucial importance for nuclear safety and security,” Grossi said on October 15, before the repair work had begun.

“This region is an active war zone, and we must be very careful in how we approach this complex and sensitive matter,” he continued. “Repairs to the power lines are needed on both sides of the front line, at locations several kilometers from the site itself. In line with the IAEA’s technical and impartial mission, I’m continuing to consult with the Russian Federation and Ukraine to enable this work to proceed within the next few days. They both tell me that they also want the repairs to go ahead. The current situation—with the plant relying on emergency diesel generators for weeks now—is not sustainable.”

Off-site power: Before the conflict, the Zaporizhzhia plant had access to 10 power lines. In recent years, that number has been reduced to two, of which one 330-kilovolt line was lost on May 7, while the sole remaining 750-kV line was disconnected on September 23. It is the plant’s longest complete loss of off-site power during the conflict, the IAEA noted.

The IAEA also reported that seven emergency diesel generators (EDGs) are currently producing electricity for the Zaporizhzhia site, mainly for the water pumps to cool the fuel in its six shut-down reactors as well as its spent fuel. Another 13 EDGs are in standby mode, with the plant continuing to alternate the ones in use to carry out necessary servicing.

Safety systems: Zaporizhzhia’s safety systems continue to be in operation for all reactor units and spent fuel pools to maintain nuclear safety.

The IAEA team at the plant has also continued to report that there has been no increase in the temperatures within the coolant in the reactors or the spent fuel pools, indicating that the nuclear fuel continues to be cooled effectively and that nuclear safety is currently maintained.

IAEA check: Over the past week, the team conducted a walkdown of the site and observed the EDGs in operation as well as all essential service sprinkler ponds, which provide cooling for the six shut-down reactors and spent fuel pools. The team noted that all were full and operating; they also performed radiation monitoring, confirming that radiation levels were normal for the site.

According to the IAEA, while the loss of off-site power remains in focus, the team is also monitoring other aspects of nuclear safety and security.

Earlier this month, team members met with the plant’s Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Department. The team reported that the site’s EPR plan was approved, and it had been deemed effective in September. Meanwhile, the team learned that the plant had established a new off-site emergency facility in the nearby town of Enerhodar, as the former off-site facility was inaccessible due to its location on the other side of the conflict’s front line. The new off-site emergency facility serves as a backup to the temporary on-site emergency center, as the original on-site center remains unavailable. The temporary on-site center receives the same plant data, ensuring continuity in emergency coordination if needed, the IAEA said.

Recent actions: During the third week of October, the IAEA team visited the six pumping stations located at the Zaporizhzhia channel that was recently isolated from the cooling pond and that supplies water for the cooling of several plant systems. The team assessed equipment status and operability and confirmed that key pumps supporting service water, fire protection, and the common EDG cooling were functioning as needed.

The water level in the channel is still approximately two meters above the minimum for the pumps to be able to operate. Meanwhile, the team is still reporting that military activities continue at various distances from the site, according to the IAEA.

Elsewhere, the Chernobyl site remains disconnected from the 330-kV power line, following reports in early October that military strikes had damaged a nearby electrical substation, leading to a partial blackout of the site’s New Safe Confinement (NSC). The site has since successfully tested the EDGs that supply the NSC, confirming their readiness in case of a future loss of power.

“Fuel reserves are sufficient for over 10 days of EDG operation, with additional diesel fuel ordered to strengthen contingency capacity,” the IAEA said on October 15.