The water level in the cooling pool at the "Zaporozhie" NPP; in Energodar decreases because of the heat. This is what the Director General of the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi warns in his position.
"The water level in the tank used to cool the plant continues to decrease. If this trend continues, it will soon become difficult to pump water from the reservoir."
According to Grossi "the availability of this water plays an important role in ensuring the nuclear safety of the plant".
After the destruction of the dam "Kahovka" last year by the Russian army, the occupation administration of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant dug 11 groundwater wells to provide about 250 cubic meters of cooling water per hour into the cooling tanks to cool all six reactor units in their current cold shutdown state. However, concerns about the plant's security and safety remain.
Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly called on the Russian occupation forces to hand over control of the nuclear site to ensure the safe operation of the facility.
Efforts of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency to secure the plant continue as early as 2022, as he periodically calls on Russia and Ukraine to create a "security zone" around headquarters.
The IAEA has been carrying out periodic inspections after international inspectors were nevertheless allowed into the nuclear plant occupied by the Russian army in the first week of its invasion of Ukraine.