The dam operator announced on Thursday, June 8, that the water reservoir level at the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine is no longer sufficient to cool the reactors of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant.
water level, “below the critical threshold of 12.7 meters”is no longer sufficient to supply “Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant Basins” About cooling operations, the head of the Ukrainian operating company Ukrhydroenergo Igor Serota explained on Ukrainian television.
sequel after announcement
The dam is located on the Dnieper River, which feeds into a reservoir providing cooling water for the nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, located about 150 kilometers upstream, and is occupied by the Russians. It was partially destroyed on Tuesday, with Kiev and Moscow blaming each other for the event.
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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, who is due to visit the plant next week, said earlier this week that water could no longer be pumped if the water level dropped below 12.7 metres. It is necessary to constantly cool the fuel in the reactor core and the fuel in the storage ponds to avoid meltdown and radioactive releases into the environment.
In the evening, the IAEA said, the plant continued pumping water from the Kakhovka Dam reservoir to cool the fuel. On examination it was found that the pumping process “It must be able to continue even if the level drops below the 12.7m threshold.”the United Nations agency explained in a press release, after the announcement of the Ukrainian operator.
Establish water restrictions
The water that is still in the cooling ponds can be used ” sometimes “It had already been confirmed earlier this week by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
sequel after announcement
A large cooling pond is located near the site “It is currently full and contains enough reserves to operate the plant for several months, as its six reactors have been shut down.”, as announced by Rafael Grossi. Checks are in progress however “It is imperative that this aquarium stay intact.”. “Nothing should be done to compromise her safety.”However, Rafael Grossi cautioned during a meeting of the agency’s board of governors in Vienna.
The factory staff has already introduced measures to restrict water consumption, and only use it “core nuclear security activities”as confirmed.
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“The hydroelectric dam operator talks about cooling the station but it is not the Dnieper that cools it, it is an isolated basin of the Dnieper River so there is no impact on safety”relative to AFP Karen Hervieux, deputy director general of the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN).
The International Atomic Energy Agency has a team of experts present at the station.
Zaporizhia’s power plant is at the center of the conflict: it has been repeatedly fired upon and out of action seven times since it was captured by the Russian army on March 4, 2022, ten days after it began. Ukraine invasion
