MELITOPOL, March 4. /TASS/. The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has sufficient water supplies on hand at the facility to cool its power units despite a decreased level of water in the Kakhovka Reservoir caused by the destruction of its dam, ZNPP Director Yury Chernichuk told reporters.
"There is currently enough water at the plant to ensure safety and cool the power units," he said.
Chernichuk pointed out that the issue had been brought up during the latest visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to the nuclear site in February. The IAEA chief had earlier expressed doubts that there was sufficient water at the NPP for cooling purposes. "Mr. Grossi was provided with a lot of information about the technical condition of the plant. As for water supplies, he was dissuaded and his concerns were proven wrong. <...> He was taken to see the sites from where the plant is supplied with water and was also informed of the activities planned to be carried out by the power plant and the Rosenergoatom consortium to offset the losses caused by the collapse of the Kakhovka Reservoir dam. In my view, Mr. Grossi left satisfied with what he had seen in this regard," the ZNPP director said.
Chernichuk emphasized that ZNPP personnel were fully prepared to ensure production safety at the plant. "We fully understand the entire process of personnel recruitment and training. As far as production safety and efforts to ensure it go, I have confidence in the people who work here; there are no concerns in this regard. However, war-related concerns are still there," he added.
The six-reactor, six-gigawatt Zaporozhye NPP, located in the city of Energodar, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Russian forces took control of the facility in late February 2022. Since then, the Ukrainian army has periodically shelled both residential areas in Energodar and the power plant proper using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).