IAEA report on Zaporizhzhia NPP cooling tower fire finds no evidence of tires or drones

On August 12, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were given limited access to the cooling towers of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to study the consequences of Sunday's fire, according to an IAEA report.

Observers of the organization have not yet been able to reach final conclusions about the causes of the fire, but have seen that its primary source was unlikely to be at the base of the cooling tower.

According to the IAEA, the damage was most likely concentrated in the inner part of the cooling tower at the water nozzle distribution level, located at a height of about ten meters.

The Russian occupation administration has not yet allowed experts there.

The IAEA team was also unable to take a close look at the cold-water basin that is the base of the cooling tower.

During a visit to the damaged cooling tower, the team saw charred areas of internal equipment, as well as droplets of charred plastic and concrete debris strewn across the basin at the base. Inside the cooling tower there is a characteristic smell of burnt plastic, but there was no smell of sulfur.

Observers took samples of debris, including burnt and melted plastic.

During the inspection, neither tires nor the remains of drones were found.

The IAEA wrote that the station's nuclear safety was not affected because the cooling towers were not working. All reactors at the ZNPP are in a state of cold shutdown, so cooling towers are not currently used for cooling.

There are no radioactive materials in the area of cooling towers, which is located approximately 1.5 km from the reactor units of the ZNPP. The team conducted radiation monitoring in the area of cooling towers and reactors and confirmed that there were no signs of elevated radiation levels.

In order to gather additional information and verify the veracity of the evidence, the IAEA team asked the occupation authorities for access to the upper part of the water nozzle distribution level when the ZNPP personnel go there.

"The team has not been able to draw definitive conclusions on the basis of the findings and observations so far. The IAEA will continue its overall analysis after additional review and access to the water nozzle distribution level and the cold-water basin," the report said.

On August 11, a fire broke out inside the cooling tower of the ZNPP. According to the chief of the Nikopol District Military Administration, the occupation administration set fire to car tires there. The Russians blamed Ukraine for the fire.