The International Atomic Energy Agency will strengthen its presence at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant next week, after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which affects the reservoir that supplies the water that cools the complex’s reactors.
“Now, more than ever, the largest presence of the IAEA [Agência Internacional de Energia Atómica] at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant [na Ucrânia] It is of vital importance to help prevent the danger of a nuclear accident and its possible consequences for people and the environment, at a time when military activity is increasing in the region,” the agency’s director general said in a statement. UN atomic force, Rafael Grossi.
The Argentine diplomat will personally travel next week to assess the damage at the nuclear power plant and will be accompanied by a reinforced team of international officials who will remain in the complex.
The nuclear power plant increased all its reserves of reactor cooling water due to declining levels in the Kakhovka reservoir and, according to the IAEA, these own reservoirs will be enough for “several months”.
The plant is closed, but the six reactors and spent fuel still require water for cooling, preventing a meltdown of the reactors and a possible release of radioactive material.
According to the IAEA, the water level in the reservoir has so far dropped about 2.8 meters since the dam was destroyed on Tuesday, reaching 14.03 meters on Wednesday.
The rate at which the water falls is two to three inches per hour and if the level drops below 40 feet, the nuclear power plant will no longer be able to pump water from the reservoir.
“Since the full extent of the damage to the dam is not yet known, it is not possible to predict if and when this could happen,” the UN nuclear agency stresses.
Rafael Grossi highlighted the importance of keeping the plant’s other water sources intact, especially the large cooling pool near the complex.
Source: TSF
