Will there be a nuclear risk accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant?

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe. After the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022, Russia took control of the nuclear power plant. Since then, the nuclear power plant has been shelled or attacked by drones many times, raising concerns among the international community about the safety of this nuclear power plant. On the evening of August 11, 2024, a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was severely damaged in an attack by the Ukrainian army, and both Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for causing the accident.

According to News Service citing TASS reports, on August 12 local time, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation said in a statement that on the evening of the 11th, a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was severely damaged in an attack by the Ukrainian army. TASS, citing the emergency department in the Zaporizhzhia region, said the fire had no impact on the operation of the nuclear power plant, and the nuclear radiation levels in the surrounding areas of the nuclear power plant and the city of Enerhodar where the nuclear power plant is located were normal, and there were no casualties in this incident.

Ukrainian President Zelensky posted on social media and uploaded a video of a big fire, saying that the fire was caused by the Russian side, and its intention was to attempt to "blackmail" the Ukrainian side. Zelensky said that currently the "radiation level at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is within the normal range", and the nuclear power plant also said that its radiation level is currently normal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that experts from the organization stationed at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant heard multiple explosions and saw black smoke rising, but "received no reports that nuclear safety was affected". In a statement on the 12th, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said: "Such reckless attacks endanger the safety of this nuclear power plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop."

All six nuclear reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are currently in a "cold shutdown" state, relying on external power supply to keep the reactors cooled. For nearly two years, although the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been shut down and no longer generates electricity, it still stores a large amount of nuclear fuel. Since September 2022, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have begun to work at the station to monitor and assess the safety of the nuclear power plant.