![]() ![]() If cooling is not reestablished, spent fuel that has been removed from the reactor for less than a few months can heat to temperatures on the order of 1,000 degrees Celsius and cause the zirconium cladding on fuel assemblies to catch fire and release radiation. ![]() Failure of cooling systems for a spent fuel storage pool can lead to an increase in the temperature of the fuel. ![]() Military attacks that disable a nuclear power plant’s safety systems, including reactor cooling and power systems, could lead to a core meltdown, as happened at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011, when an earthquake and ensuing tsunami disabled safety systems and caused three core meltdowns. To illustrate the potential damage from a military attack on a nuclear power plant, we simulated and analyzed hypothetical releases from a core meltdown and spent fuel pool fire at one unit, Zaporizhzhya 1, if an attack by missiles or artillery had disabled cooling systems there. Some experts have suggested the attack on Zaporizhzhya could have caused a huge catastrophe others were much more conservative in their estimates of possible radiation releases from such an attack. And a recent assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency indicates that, although management of the plant by a Russian military commander is less than ideal, “regular staff have continued to operate the Zaporizhzhya ” and “at least 11 representatives of the Russian state company Rosatom were also present there, without interfering with the operation of the nuclear facilities.”Įven so, Russia’s military attacks on the Zaporizhzhya plant raise great concerns about the possibility of nuclear accidents. ![]() Fortunately, the damage did not threaten the safety of the unit. Among the six reactor units at the complex, auxiliary buildings attached to the Zaporizhzhya Unit 1 reactor were damaged. Īs Russian military forces shelled the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine on March 4, 2022, a fire broke out on the site. To stay updated on the current situation at nuclear power plants in Ukraine and across the world, visit the website of the International Atomic Energy Agency at. But, clearly, this is making an already very difficult and unpredictable nuclear safety and security situation even more so," said Grossi, adding he would make a new visit to Zaporizhzhia next week.Editor’s note: The simulations described in this article do not reflect a current or predicted situation in Ukraine. "There is preparedness for events like this (.), which will help staff to handle this new challenging situation. The plant has been repeatedly affected by power cuts, clashes, and intense pressure exerted on Ukrainian personnel. For over a year, the IAEA has consistently warned of the highly precarious context in which Zaporizhzhia operates. However, the damage inflicted on the facility further weakens the safety of the site occupied by Russian forces. "There is no immediate risk to the safety of the plant," said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Since the partial destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southeastern Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday, June 6, the level of the reserve it formed on the Dnipro River has been anxiously monitored since its serves as the primary source of cooling water for the upstream Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.Ī few hours after the dam burst, the United Nations's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) dismissed fears of an imminent nuclear accident, which, if it had materialized, would have made the human and environmental catastrophe even worse. By 6:00 pm on Wednesday, June 7, it had already dropped 2.8 meters to a height of 14.03 meters. ANDRIY ANDRIYENKO / APĬentimeter by centimeter, the reservoir is emptying. Subscribers only Ukrainian emergency workers in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 7, 2023. Authorities have alternatives for the time being.īy Perrine Mouterde Published on June 8, 2023, at 6:00 pm (Paris) The level of Ukraine's Kakhovka reservoir, which has been dropping since the dam was destroyed earlier this week, could soon be too low to supply the power plant. Ukraine: For now, there is enough water to cool Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ![]()
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