The safety situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains precarious, with six of the Seven Pillars compromised. Only one off-site power line remains, posing serious safety risks. All six reactors are in cold shutdown and no reactor can safely be started under current conditions, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement.
The cooling pond level has dropped to 13.4m, nearing the 12.0m threshold below which cooling systems fail. Measures to isolate the inlet channel offer short-term relief, but a long-term solution, such as a pumping station, is needed. Ongoing military activity, including attacks very close to the ZNPP site, are deeply concerning, adding stress and risk.
At the Chornobyl site, three of the Seven Pillars remain compromised following February’s drone strike on the New Safe Confinement (NSC). To avoid further degradation over the winter months, temporary repairs are planned for autumn, pending approval and funding.
At the Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in Rome at the beginning of July, I signed an MOU with Ukraine to support identifying, designing, implementing, and testing the necessary repair activities on the NSC through safety review missions and technical support, in close coordination with Ukrainian authorities. The Agency has increased monitoring and will conduct a safety review as work progresses.
