VIENNA, August 2. /TASS/. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency is concerned about falling water levels in the cooling pond of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
"The dwindling water levels in the cooling pond remains a potential source of concern, and we will continue to closely monitor and observe the situation at the site to ensure the availability of a sufficient supply of cooling water for the plant’s needs at all times," he said in a statement on the IAEA’s website. "Despite all reactors remaining in a state of cold-shutdown, availability of this water is important for nuclear safety of the plant."
Over the past weeks, IAEA experts at the plant have observed a continuous decrease in the water level of the plant’s cooling pond, according to the agency.
"If this trend continues, ZNPP staff confirmed that it will soon become challenging to pump water from the pond," the statement said. "Maintaining the level of the pond is made more difficult by the hot summer weather."