Repeated off-site power outages at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), together with reports of recent military activity in the nearby city where most plant staff live, underline the persistent nuclear safety and security challenges facing the site during the conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

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On Tuesday afternoon, the 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.

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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.

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“The frequent interruptions in external power show how fragile the electrical grid situation remains for the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. 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,” Director General Grossi said.

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In recent days, the ZNPP reported several drone attacks in Enerhodar, 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 Enerhodar 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, the ZNPP said.

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“Staff of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant continue to work under extremely difficult circumstances. Military activity in Enerhodar 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.

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Separately at the ZNPP, the IAEA team was not granted access last week 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.

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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.

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At the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant site, the IAEA team was informed that a total of eight drone flights were detected within the site’s monitoring zone between 9 and 14 July.

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“The continued presence of drones near nuclear sites is a further reminder of the risks this war poses to nuclear safety and security,” Director General Grossi said.

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Text Courtesy, IAEA