Category: Nuclear Energy

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed about a further attempted drone attack today on the training centre of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), causing no damage or casualties, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

It would be the third reported attack targeting the training facility recently, following two such incidents last week. The ZNPP told the IAEA team stationed at the site that today’s drone had been “neutralized”, without giving further details.

The IAEA team heard an explosion at the same local time, 10:35am, as when ZNPP subsequently reported the attempted drone attack took place.

The team was denied access to the training centre just outside the ZNPP site perimeter to assess the incident, with the plant citing potential security risks.

It comes less than two weeks after a series of drone attacks significantly deepened concerns about the already precarious nuclear safety and security situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP), located on the frontline of the conflict.

“If confirmed, it would be an extremely worrying development. Whoever is behind these incidents, they appear to be ignoring the international community’s repeated calls for maximum military restraint to avert the very real threat of a serious nuclear accident, which could have significant health and environmental consequences and benefit absolutely no one,” Director General Grossi said.

“So far, the drone strikes have not compromised nuclear safety at the site. But, as I told the United Nations Security Council a few days ago, these reckless attacks must cease immediately,” Director General Grossi said.

Earlier this week, a new team of IAEA experts arrived at the ZNPP, crossing the frontline of the conflict on Tuesday to replace their colleagues who had been monitoring the situation at the ZNPP for the past several weeks.

It is the 18th team of IAEA experts at the plant since Director General Grossi established a permanent presence there in September 2022 to help prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict.    

“Our presence at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is needed more than ever. As I also informed the Security Council, we are getting dangerously close to a nuclear accident. This month’s drone attacks were the first clear violation of the five concrete principles for the protection of the site that I established at the Security Council almost one year ago,” Director General Grossi said.

“In these extremely difficult and challenging times, I’m very encouraged by the strong support and unanimous appreciation of the IAEA’s important work expressed by the members of the Security Council. Everybody agrees that the IAEA’s role is indispensable as we do everything in our power to keep the plant safe and secure,” he added.

In addition to today’s report of an attempted drone attack, the IAEA experts heard several rounds of outgoing artillery fire early in the week, as has been an almost daily occurrence in recent weeks and months. As has also happened previously, artillery fire near the site at one stage triggered the alarms of cars parked near the ZNPP’s administrative building.

“I sincerely hope that our calls for maximum military restraint – both at the IAEA Board of Governors and the United Nations Security Council – will be heeded before it is too late. The dangers facing the plant have not gone away, as shown by today’s reported drone explosion. As we saw on 7 April, the situation can take a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse at any time,” Director General Grossi said.

Whilst all reactors are now in cold shutdown, nuclear safety and security remains fragile. The new IAEA team will therefore continue to monitor the status of the plant against the seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security as well as the five concrete principles to prevent a nuclear accident.

In particular, the team will focus its attention on the extent and effectiveness of ongoing maintenance activities, which are of paramount importance, especially considering the reduced level of maintenance performed at the site since the start of the conflict more than two years ago.

Maintenance activities on the electrical transformers of reactor unit 1 are ongoing, as are those on part of the safety systems of unit 2, which are expected to be completed by the end of April.

The IAEA team was also informed by the ZNPP that its radiation protection programme has been reviewed and is now aligned with the regulatory framework of the Russian Federation. The ZNPP said the radiation exposures to its staff had dropped significantly due to the site’s shutdown state and the absence of major maintenance performed on the six reactor units.

On Sunday, the team carried out a walkdown within the site perimeter. Monitoring adherence to the five concrete principles, the IAEA experts were able to confirm that there were no heavy weapons in the areas they visited. However, they still do not receive permission to visit all areas on site, especially the western side of the turbine halls, the ZNPP cooling pond isolation gate, and the 330 kilovolt (kV) open switchyard of the nearby Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP).

Also over the past week, the IAEA experts visited the reactor building and containment of unit 2 to observe a routine swap of the cooling pumps for its spent fuel pool.

They also looked into the site’s water situation – challenged by last year’s destruction of the Kakhovka dam – and were informed that about 5000m³ of water are pumped from the discharge channel of the ZTPP to the ZNPP cooling pond per day. The 11 groundwater wells built after the dam was destroyed provide a similar amount of water each day for cooling of the reactor units and spent fuel.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the IAEA teams present at the Khelmnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site have reported that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the effects of the ongoing conflict, including air raid alarms on most days over the past week.

Scheduled maintenance and refuelling activities are progressing at two of the four reactor units at the Rivne NPP and one unit of the South Ukraine NPP. The Agency experts present at the Chornobyl site conducted a successful rotation on Wednesday.

The IAEA this week completed a separate mission to the Khelmnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs regarding the coordination of its continued presence activities at these sites and a follow-up to previous medical missions last year to support the staff at the nuclear facilities in Ukraine. 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

All six reactor units of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are now in cold shutdown for the first time since late 2022 after unit 4 reached this operational state early today, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

In line with the ZNPP’s plans, previously reported by the IAEA, the plant started transitioning unit 4 from hot to cold shutdown on Friday morning, a process that was completed at 7:30am today. It decided to take this step after the nearby town of Enerhodar – where most plant staff live – recently ended the winter heating season.

“I welcome this development which has been recommended by the Agency for some time, as it enhances the overall safety of the facility. The Agency will continue to closely follow the operational status of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and provide technically viable alternatives in a context of rapid changes and challenges,” Director General Grossi said.

The ZNPP stopped generating electricity for the national grid in September 2022, but it has kept at least one of its six units in hot shutdown since October 2022 to provide district heating as well as process steam for liquid waste treatment at the site.

After the plant earlier this year started operating four newly-installed diesel steam generators to produce steam for the treatment of such waste, as recommended by the IAEA, reactor unit 4 remained in hot shutdown primarily to help keep Enerhodar warm. The five other reactors were in cold shutdown, and have now been joined by unit 4.

When in cold shutdown, in case the heat removal is interrupted for any reason, there is an additional response margin of several days before the cooling of the nuclear fuel in the reactor might be challenged. The reactor also needs less cooling water than in hot shutdown, an issue that became more challenging after the destruction of the downstream Kakhovka dam in mid-2023.

Although the measure is positive for nuclear safety, the situation remains extremely fragile at a time when Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is facing severe dangers, with several drone strikes targeting the facility over the past week.

“The decision to have all six units in cold shutdown is positive in itself, as the cooling down of the reactor provides an additional buffer in case of an accident. But it doesn’t address the fundamental issue of a recent sharp deterioration of the situation at the plant. Without a doubt, nuclear safety and security at this major nuclear facility remains very precarious,” Director General Grossi said.

The potential risks were underlined again this morning, when the team of the IAEA experts stationed at the site reported hearing sixteen rounds of outgoing artillery fire in less than half an hour – some at near distance, others further away but still clearly audible.

Ukraine’s national regulator, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), has previously issued regulatory orders to limit the operation of all six units of the ZNPP to a cold shutdown state.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was yesterday informed by Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), that localized corrosion and flaking of paint was discovered on three tanks used to store treated water at the site.

During a routine walkdown of the tanks emptied after transferring the water – the tanks used at FDNPS to store the ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water – TEPCO staff noted the corrosion and flaking on three tanks. These three tanks are currently empty, and an assessment determined that the corrosion bore no impact on the structural integrity of the tanks, and no water has leaked.  

The corrosion does not pose any safety risk, and there is no environmental impact. The event is not related to the discharge of the ALPS treated water. The damaged section will be repaired prior to using the tanks again to store ALPS treated water.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority has been informed, and inspectors at the plant are conducting an on-site investigation.

The IAEA remains in contact with Nuclear Regulatory Authority in Japan.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi today called for maximum military restraint and full observance of the five concrete principles for protecting Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), days after a series of drone attacks had “significantly” increased the risk of a nuclear accident at the site.

Addressing an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Director General Grossi said it was of paramount importance to ensure that “these reckless attacks do not mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war”.

The IAEA Director General will address the United Nations Security Council in New York on Monday.

Today’s session of the 35-nation Board was convened by its Chair after he received two separate requests from the Russian Federation and Ukraine for such a meeting.

“I firmly appeal to military decision makers to abstain from any action violating the IAEA’s five concrete principles to prevent a nuclear accident and ensure the integrity of the plant and I urge the international community actively to work towards a de-escalation of what is a very serious situation,” Director General Grossi said in his opening statement.

The meeting was held less than a week after three drone strikes hit the site of the ZNPP, endangering nuclear safety and security and deepening concern about the already highly precarious situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP), located on the frontline of the armed conflict.

It was the first time since November 2022 that the ZNPP was directly targeted in military action. It also represented a clear violation of the five principles aimed at protecting the facility that were established by Director General Grossi at the United Nations Security Council in May last year and, he told the Board, “shifted us into an acutely consequential juncture in this war”.

Although the strikes – as well as others reported by the plant both before and after Sunday’s events – did not cause damage compromising nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP, they marked a “major escalation” of the dangers, Director General Grossi said.

Stressing that “no one can conceivably benefit or gain any military or political advantage” by attacking a nuclear power plant, he said:

“I urge you to make this your highest priority and to support me and the IAEA in doing everything in your power to stop this devastating war becoming unconscionably more dangerous through further attacks on the Zaporizhzhya NPP or any other nuclear power plant.”

At the site in southern Ukraine, the team of IAEA experts stationed there have continued to report about the frequent sound of military action, including numerous rounds of outgoing artillery fire from near the facility.

Despite the heightened military-related challenges in recent days, the IAEA experts have conducted walkdowns across the site over the past week, visiting the main control rooms of the six reactor units, the off-site radiation monitoring laboratory, as well as the site’s radioactive waste storage facility.

However, they were not granted access to parts of the turbine hall of unit 2 when they went to this reactor, nor to some parts of the waste facility, which meant they were not able to verify its current status. As reported previously, the ZNPP has not provided timely and appropriate access for the IAEA experts to all areas that are important to nuclear safety and security.

“In these extremely challenging circumstances, the presence of IAEA experts at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is more important than ever. Their impartial and technical work enables us to inform the world about events there in an independent and timely manner. In order to carry out these crucial tasks, they need prompt and unrestricted access to all areas that are important for nuclear safety and security,” Director General Grossi said.

Separately, the ZNPP informed the IAEA experts that it intends to start transitioning unit 4 to cold shutdown from tomorrow morning, after the nearby town of Enerhodar – where most plant staff live – officially ended the winter heating season.

The ZNPP stopped generating electricity for the national grid in September 2022, but it has kept at least one of its six units in hot shutdown to provide district heating as well as process steam for liquid waste treatment at the site.

After the plant earlier this year started operating four newly-installed diesel steam generators to handle such waste, as recommended by the IAEA, reactor unit 4 has remained in hot shutdown primarily to help keep Enerhodar warm. The five other reactors are in cold shutdown.

When in cold shutdown, in case the heat removal is interrupted, there is an additional response margin of several days before the cooling of the nuclear fuel in the reactor might be challenged. The reactor also needs less cooling water than in hot shutdown.

“Switching to cold shutdown is a positive step for nuclear safety and security, although one that is currently overshadowed by the great military dangers facing the plant,” Director General Grossi said.

The ZNPP separately informed the IAEA team that the plant – throughout the past week – once again had access to its only remaining back-up power line, which was lost in early April. The plant now has access to one of its four main 750 kilovolt (kV) power lines, as well as the last of six 330 kV back-up lines, which was disconnected for a few days.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the IAEA experts at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs as well as at the Chornobyl site have reported that nuclear safety and security continues to be maintained, despite multiple air raid alarms that occurred over the past week. Units 1 and 4 at the Rivne NPP are in planned outage. The IAEA experts at the Khmelnytskyy NPP rotated on 8 April.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed about a further drone attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) today, in the latest indication of a major worsening of the nuclear safety and security situation at the site, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

The IAEA team of experts stationed at the plant – who verified the impact of several such attacks on Sunday – reported hearing bursts of rifle fire followed by a loud explosion at 11:05am local time today, the same time that the ZNPP later said an incoming drone had detonated on the roof of the facility’s training centre.

The incident added to deepening concern about the already highly precarious nuclear safety and security situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which has been shelled several times since the conflict started in February 2022 and lost all off-site power eight times.

The training centre is located just outside the site perimeter, around half a kilometre from reactor unit 1, and the incident did not pose any threat to nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP, whose six reactors have all been shut down for the past 20 months. However, there are ZNPP staff routinely present in the training centre. The IAEA team requested immediate access to the building to assess the possible impact but was informed that the military security situation did not allow it. The team will continue to seek such access, as they did and received on Sunday.

“Today’s reported incident – although outside the site perimeter – is an ominous development as it indicates an apparent readiness to continue these attacks, despite the grave dangers they pose to nuclear safety and security and our repeated calls for military restraint. Whoever is behind them, they are playing with fire. Attacking a nuclear power plant is extremely irresponsible and dangerous, and it must stop,” Director General Grossi said.

Sunday’s drone strikes signalled a serious new threat to plant safety as it was the first time since November 2022 that the ZNPP was directly targeted in military action. It also represented the first clear violation of the five concrete principles for protecting the facility established by Director General Grossi at the United Nations Security Council in May last year.

In addition to the incidents on Sunday and today – which were backed up by the observations of the IAEA team – the Agency experts were also informed by the ZNPP about other similar events over the past few days. On Friday, the ZNPP said there had been a drone strike near the site’s oxygen and nitrogen production facility. On Sunday, the team heard explosions, in addition to those already reported, and were informed of two other alleged drone attacks outside the site perimeter, at the nearby port and at the training centre. Yesterday, the ZNPP said a drone had been shot down above the turbine hall building of reactor unit 6, without causing an explosion. In all cases, the IAEA team requested to visit these locations, but were denied access due to security reasons.

Reflecting the recent days’ severe turn for the worse at the site, Director General Grossi said he plans to brief the United Nations Security Council about the situation next week. It will be the seventh time he addresses the 15-nation body on the situation in Ukraine in just over two years.

“I remain determined to do everything in my power to prevent a major nuclear accident during this tragic war. At this moment of great danger, I will underline the seriousness of the situation in my address to the Security Council, whose support is of paramount importance for the IAEA’s persistent efforts to help prevent a major nuclear accident, with potential consequences for people and the environment in Ukraine and beyond,” he said.  

The IAEA experts have continued to hear the continuous sound of military activities near the plant over the past few days, including explosions, small arms fire as well as outgoing artillery fire from near the plant.