No Remnants of Tires or Drones Found in Zaporizhzhia Power Plant, IAEA Reports

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts visited the cooling towers of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to evaluate the effects of a fire that occurred on August 11.

The IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia (ISAMZ) conducted an assessment of the cooling tower area in the morning on August 13, following a request for an immediate review.

“The IAEA reported that no remnants of tires or drones were found during the examination,” the statement said.

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that the team determined it was unlikely the fire originated from the base of the cooling tower.

“During the team’s inspection of the cooling tower, it was determined that the damage is likely concentrated in the interior of the tower, specifically at the water nozzle distribution level, which is approximately ten meters high,” the statement reads.

Although the team could view the bottom of the water nozzle distribution level from the concrete foundation columns and the cold-water basin, they were unable to access these areas due to safety concerns.

The inspection revealed burnt areas in the internal equipment higher up, near the water nozzle distribution level, and the presence of burnt plastic droplets and concrete fragments in the cold-water basin. The team collected samples of the debris, including molten plastic, and found that the lingering odor was likely due to burning plastic rather than sulfur. No remains of tires or drones were observed.

The team confirmed there were no significant disturbances in the debris, ash, or soot at the base of the cooling tower. Importantly, the nuclear safety of the plant was not compromised, as the cooling towers are not currently operational and are not required for the reactors, which are in a cold shutdown state.

The IAEA reassured that the incident had not compromised the nuclear safety of the plant, as there are no radioactive materials in the area, which is located 1.5 kilometers from the reactor units.

“The team conducted radiation monitoring in both the cooling tower area and the reactor units and confirmed that there were no signs of elevated radiation levels,” the international agency stated.

To further investigate and verify the evidence, the ISAMZ team has requested permission to accompany ZNPP staff in photographing the upper part of the water nozzle distribution level.

At the same time, the Russian authorities controlling the ZNPP did not permit the international team to inspect the water nozzle distribution level and the cold-water basin at the base of the cooling tower.