“The water level is below the limit point of 12.7 meters,” Ukrhydroenergo CEO Igor Sirota said.
This means that it is no longer possible to supply “the vessels of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to cool the plant”.
The dam is located on the Dnipro River and forms a reservoir that supplies cooling water to Russia’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest of its kind in Europe and located about 150 km north of the dam.
The plant is due to be visited next week by Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who said this week the pumping of water would stop if the water level fell below 12.7 meters.
Grossi said water in the plant’s cooling ponds and elsewhere could still be used “for some time” to cool reactors and spent fuel pools in reactor buildings.
He added that a large cooling pond next to the site “is now full and contains enough stock to power the plant for several months, as its six reactors are in shutdown mode”.
“It is therefore imperative that the cooling pond remains intact. I call on all parties to ensure that nothing is done to undermine this,” Grossi told a meeting of the agency’s board. .
According to the agency “Agence France Presse”, there is a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency at the station.
Dam disaster
The dam, which is controlled by Russia, was destroyed on Tuesday, and Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of being behind the sabotage, saying an explosion destroyed the dam. Rafael Grossi had revealed earlier that the workers of the plant had taken measures to reduce the consumption of water, which they only use for “essential activities related to nuclear safety”. And the official added: “There is a preparation for events like this. But it is clear that it makes the situation of nuclear safety and security more difficult and difficult to predict”. Although the plant’s reactors are shut down, they still need cooling water to prevent a nuclear disaster from happening. Grossi warned that “the absence of cooling water in the main cooling water systems for a long period can lead to fuel melting and the failure of emergency diesel generators”. He repeatedly called for the protection of the station, especially after the bombardments that occurred nearby, which repeatedly cut off the supply of vital energy.
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