IAEA says Russia blocks access to newly built dam at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Photo: Russians blocked IAEA access to the dam near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (Getty Images)
IAEA experts have been unable to access a newly built dam on the channel of one of the cooling ponds at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Russian forces are preventing their entry, according to an IAEA report dated August 28.
"The IAEA team based at the ZNPP site — Europe's largest nuclear power plant (NPP) — continues to request access to the newly constructed dam but has not yet been permitted due to security concerns," the report said.
The dam was built to isolate one of the channels from a cooling pond and to help maintain water levels at around 14 meters. That level is sufficient to ensure the proper functioning of the reactors’ cooling system.
"Our access to this dam is essential to assess the cooling water situation, which is crucial given the fragile nuclear safety situation at the ZNPP," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.
IAEA experts were also denied entry to the western part of the machine hall of one of the reactors during a routine weekly inspection. In addition, the mission said it heard military activity in the vicinity of the facility.
Zaporizhzhia NPP under Russian occupation
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Ukraine and Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022. Russian troops have mined parts of the site and turned it into a military base. The facility has repeatedly faced the risk of blackouts due to Russian actions.
Russia is illegally detaining at least 13 employees of the plant. Seven have been sentenced on what the IAEA described as fabricated charges. Three others are awaiting verdicts in Russian prisons, while the fate of the remaining workers remains unknown.
On July 19, smoke was reported near the plant's cooling towers following a forest fire. The IAEA said the incident did not affect radiation levels.
