IAEA Director General inspects Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after fire

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) for the fifth time.

This was reported on the IAEA website.

«His focus was on the significant damage caused by a fire at one of the cooling towers in early August. He also visited the water pumping station and the storage facility for fresh fuel rods.»

It was noted that the IAEA Director General emphasized the «significant damage» caused by the fire at one of the cooling towers. He also inspected a water pumping station and a storage facility for fresh fuel rods.

«We can now see what remains of the building destroyed by the fire. Until now, we had not been able to access the tower to properly assess the damage,» said Grossi.

According to him, the damaged building cannot be used in the future and is likely to be demolished.

The IAEA also published a report on its website detailing two years of efforts to prevent an accident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

• The report states that the plant has suffered from drone strikes and damage to power lines. Additionally, IAEA staff reported the presence of armed military personnel on site.

Fire at ZNPP

As a reminder, on the evening of August 11, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian occupiers had set a fire on the grounds of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) observed «thick dark smoke» rising from the northwestern part of the plant, along with a series of explosions during the evening of August 11.

Later, Energoatom identified possible causes of the fire at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

On Hromadske Radio, Ludwig Lytvynsky, a professor and nuclear energy expert, stated that nothing «serious» had occurred.

«Nothing super-critical happened. There is no serious cause for alarm. The cooling tower where the fire began is located more than a kilometer away from the nearest power unit. Therefore, these events do not affect any nuclear systems or technologies.»

The professor further explained that for something to catch fire, it must be intentionally set on fire. Thus, the fire in the cooling tower was clearly deliberate. He added that someone would need to either bring materials or pour a combustible substance to start the fire.

«Russians are like monkeys with grenades; you can expect anything from them,» he remarked.