IAEA fails to name cause of fire at ZNPP cooling tower after another inspection

August 14, 2024 08:31

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whose experts once again examined a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on August 13, failed to name the cause of fire there in a statement, published on the organization's website, Report informs referring to TASS.

"The evidence gathered reinforces our conclusion that the main fire seems unlikely to be at the base of the cooling tower," the report quoted IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi as saying.

After studying the photos and footage of the cooling tower’s interior, the team concluded that "no foreign objects or materials were visible" on them.

Experts also reported seeing "debris consistent with a significant fire" from those photos and footage, as well as "dark scorch marks across the interior of the concrete walls."

"The ZNPP has informed the team that the impact of the fire on the structural integrity of cooling tower 1 needs to be assessed and that there may be a need to dismantle it," the IAEA said.

The team has requested access to the second of the two cooling towers at the plant in order to see inside the structure and to gain a better understanding of its design.