The IAEA experts visited the Zaporizhzhia NPP cooling tower where the fire occurred. Neither tires nor drone fragments were found there

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited the cooling towers of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) after a fire broke out there on August 11.

This was reported by the press service of the agency.

According to the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, a team of experts assessed that the fire was unlikely to have started at the base of the cooling tower.

Experts determined that the damage most likely occurred in the inner part of the tower at the level of the water distribution nozzle, located at a height of approximately ten meters. The team was not allowed "for security reasons" to check the level of distribution of the water nozzle and to the pool of cold water, which is the basis of the cooling tower.

While visiting the area of the cooling tower, the team noticed burned areas in the internal equipment above, near the level of the distribution nozzle. Experts also saw traces of burnt plastic and fragments of fallen concrete around the pool with cold water. The team estimated that the plastic marks were from melted plastic netting that had fallen through the fire.

At the same time, experts did not find any remains of tires or drone fragments during the inspection.

A cooling tower is a structure in the form of a tower for cooling water with atmospheric air. The IAEA notes that there are no threats to nuclear safety, as the cooling towers are not working now — they are not used to cool the ZNPP reactors, as they are all in a state of cold shutdown.

The cooling towers are located approximately 1.5 kilometers from the reactor units of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The team conducted radiation monitoring both there and near the reactors, and confirmed that the radiation background in the region is normal.

The IAEA said the teamʼs findings are not yet final, and the agency will continue its analysis after experts are allowed to examine the water nozzleʼs distribution level and the cold water pool.

• On August 11, a fire broke out in the Zaporizhzhia NPP cooling tower, the head of the Nikopol District Military Administration Yevhen Yevtushenko citing his sources, was the first to say that the Russians probably set fire to many car tires in the cooling tower. President Zelensky also stated about provocation by the Russians. Instead, Russia accused Ukraine of the drone attack.
• ZNPP was occupied by the Russian military at the beginning of March 2022 and has been operating under their control since then. The station was completely disconnected from the power grid several times. From September 2022, the IAEA mission is stationed at the station. Ukraine insists on the withdrawal of the Russian occupiers from the station. President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasizes that while Russian soldiers are at the ZNPP, "the world remains on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe." Russia refuses to create a demilitarized zone at ZNPP.