A new water pumping unit was sent to the Zaporozhye facility, a senior Russian official said
The city of Novaya Kakhovka after a local dam broke on June 6, 2023. © Dmitry Makeyev / Sputnik
Russia will ensure the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant following the Kakhovka dam disaster, Renat Karchaa, an adviser at the country’s national nuclear operator Rosenergoatom, said on Tuesday evening.
“We can say with high confidence that the nuclear safety of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant will be maintained in full,” Karchaa told TV channel Rossiya-24. He added that a mobile pumping station was being delivered from a nuclear plant in Smolensk in order to help cool the reactors if necessary.
Five of ZNPP’s six power units are shut down. One reactor is currently producing a low level of power to keep the facility operational.
Normally, the plant relies on the Kakhovka Reservoir for water to cool its reactors. The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, which sits close to the front line separating Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, broke on June 6, flooding the city of Novaya Kakhovka, as well as Kherson and surrounding areas.
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The water levels have since gradually dropped, according to Vladimir Saldo, a top Russian regional official.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned earlier that the destruction of the dam could disrupt the normal functioning of the ZNPP. He said on Sunday that the water level by the Zaporozhye Thermal Power Plant, which is located not far from the nuclear facility, had decreased significantly, however, “water pumps continue to be operable.” Grossi, who arrived in Kiev on Tuesday, plans to visit the nuclear power plant and assess the risks.
Moscow and Kiev have blamed each other for the dam disaster. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukrainian troops “repeatedly” fired rockets at the dam during their conflict with Russian forces.
