Russia causes water leakage at ZNPP from 1st reactor circuit to 2nd - Energoatom

Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear power state enterprise, shared the information.

The report indicates that an incident occurred at Unit 4 of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently under temporary occupation. This incident involved the unit being put into a "hot" shutdown mode in violation of Energoatom's licensing terms and requirements. As a result, a water leak from the first reactor circuit to the second circuit took place. There was no radiological release into the environment.

The cause of this incident was identified as a breach in the integrity of the third steam generator situated within the containment of the unit. Consequently, the Russian authorities initiated the process of transitioning Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 to a "cold shutdown" state.

Energoatom also noted that over the next 3 days, the invaders intend to transition the Zaporizhzhia NPP Unit 6 into a "hot shutdown" state, which is another violation of the license terms and requirements.

"Rosatom's incompetent, illegitimate 'management' of ZNPP is consistently putting the seized plant's units out of commission. And this crime with deliberate damage to the equipment of Unit 4, which led to the violation of the integrity of three out of five existing physical barriers to the spread of radiation, leakage of potentially radioactive water of the first circuit beyond the established limits, damage to expensive equipment of the first circuit, will be investigated," said Energoatom President Petro Kotin.

He further emphasized that once the plant is liberated, all individuals implicated in the incident and those who persist in carrying out Rosatom's illicit directives, thereby jeopardizing the equipment of all Zaporizhzhia NPP units, will be identified and held accountable.

Kotin also said that the 750 kV high-voltage communication line was repaired and ZNPP was connected to the main power line on August 10 at 7:02 pm.

The situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Russian forces occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP in late February 2022. Since then, there has been a constant presence of personnel and military equipment, which the invading Russian troops store in machine rooms and occasionally deploy to positions for shelling the territories of the Nikopol district in the Dnipropetrovsk region, located on the other side of the Kakhovka Reservoir.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a monitoring mission at the station, which is supposed to ensure that the nuclear power plant is not used as a military base, that it is not attacked, and that no fire is initiated from the NPP. Power outages at the nuclear power plant occur regularly though. Occupiers began importing explosives to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant last year.

In May 2023 information emerged that the Russian forces had placed explosives in the turbine room of the  ZNPP’s fourth power unit. Additionally, the invading Russian forces have nearly completely destroyed the emergency readiness and response system at the nuclear power plant.

On June 22, the Director-General of the IAEA, after visiting ZNPP Grossi, stated that the situation at the plant is extremely unstable. On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that intelligence had received information that Russia was considering a scenario for a terrorist act at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which would cause a radiation release.

The Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that Russia has completed preparations for a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Consequently,  large-scale exercises were held in four regions of Ukraine to prepare for a possible terrorist attack on the ZNPP.

On June 30, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported that the occupying Russian forces were gradually leaving the ZNPP, and that Ukrainian employees who had signed a contract with Rosatom also received evacuation recommendations. In addition, the plant's staff received an order to blame Ukraine in any emergency situation. On 2 July, the mayor of the temporarily occupied Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, said that some Rosatom employees and collaborators who had signed a contract with the company had left ZNPP.

On July 4, the Ukrainian Armed Forces officially reported that Russian troops were preparing a provocation at ZNPP: Russians placed suspicious devices similar to explosives on the roof of power units 3 and 4.

On July 5, during a meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, the European Union made a statement that Russia must immediately stop actions that threaten the safety of nuclear facilities and withdraw its troops from Ukraine. At the same time, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the agency had not detected any signs of mining at ZNPP. According to him, despite this, experts are "extremely wary". Subsequently, satellite images from Planet Labs, taken on the morning of July 5, showed unknown objects on the roof of the fourth power unit of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The General Staff had previously reported that this particular power unit had been mined.

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said on July 6 that the threat of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia NPP was decreasing. However, the president of Energoatom later said that about 700 Russians are currently at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The plant is mined, and machine gun nests are placed on the roofs of the power units. Energoatom also reported that the occupiers allow specialists from the Russian Federation to work at Zaporizhzhia NPP who do not have the necessary knowledge and skills to operate the plant.

On July 6, the first deputy head of Putin's administration, Sergey Kirienko, arrived on the territory of the occupied ZNPP. The visit took place amid the release of information about the Russians' mining of the ZNPP. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence noted that Russian forces continue to mine the Zaporizhzhia NPP and facilities on the plant's territory. They are installing explosives and minefields. The Ministry of Defense emphasized that Russian troops mined technical rooms and machine rooms.

On July 14, about 500 Russian military and Rosatom employees were at ZNPP, in particular, they were using the plant to shell Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions. Later, Energoatom President Petro Kotin said that Russians continue to mine ZNPP and use the plant as their military base.

On July 19, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine warned that Russia was planning another armed provocation on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP "under a false flag." The very next day, it was reported that the Ukrainian staff of the ZNPP refused to launch the 4th power unit, which was ordered to be launched by the illegally appointed Russian management. Because of this, Russia brought workers from 6 Russian nuclear power plants to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

On July 24, the Russian management put the 4th power unit of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a "hot shutdown" state, which is a violation of international nuclear law.

And on July 25, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recorded anti-personnel mines on the outskirts of the Zaporizhzhia NPP site.

Later, the IAEA reported that after the 4th power unit at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP was put on hot shutdown, the 5th power unit was cooled down.

On Friday, August 4, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency said they did not notice any mines or explosives on the roofs of the reactor buildings at the plant.

Later, it was revealed that on the night of July 10, the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost power from the main 750 kV high-voltage line. It was switched to the only available 330 kV backup line.