Russians do not let IAEA into ZNPP cooling tower where fire occured
IAEA flag (Getty Images)
Employees of the IAEA were unable to gain access to the cooling tower at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) where a fire occurred on August 11. The occupiers are obstructing experts from entering the facility, according to Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk.
According to Kolisnyk, IAEA representatives were only able to conduct radiation monitoring and inspect the cooling tower.
He said that after this, they attempted to enter the interior of the cooling tower at the level of the water spray distribution system, as they suspected that there might be damage caused by the fire. However, the occupiers did not allow them to proceed.
Kolisnyk added that the IAEA has not yet reached a conclusion regarding the causes and circumstances of the fire at the cooling tower on August 11.
Fire at ZNPP on August 11
The fire at ZNPP on August 11 was first reported by Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the Nikopol District Military Administration. Residents of Nikopol were the first to notice the fire at one of the cooling towers of the plant, located on the temporarily occupied bank of the former Kakhovka Reservoir. Despite this, ZNPP continued to operate normally.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the fire and said that it was caused by Russian occupiers.
The IAEA responded to the incident, reporting that Agency experts witnessed thick dark smoke in the northern part of ZNPP, which appeared after numerous explosions. They were unable to determine the cause.
Energoatom considers the possible causes of the fire at ZNPP to be either the negligence of the occupiers or deliberate arson. They also said that no exceedances of the control levels for emissions or discharges of radioactive substances were recorded.
