IAEA: Explosions and Black Smoke Occur at Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant Occupied by Russia

International Atomic Energy Agency experts at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine noticed thick, dark smoke coming from the northwestern part of the plant after hearing numerous explosions throughout the evening.

This is stated in the IAEA report.

"The team was informed at ZNPP that a suspected drone attack on one of the cooling towers at the plant took place today. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi noted that this did not affect nuclear safety," the report said.

Representatives of the plant confirmed to the team that there is no risk of increased radiation levels, as there are no radioactive materials near the alleged attack zone.

In order to find out the extent and possible causes of the incident, the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia (ISAMZ) requested immediate access to the cooling tower to assess the damage.

ZNPP has two cooling towers located on the north side of the cooling pond, outside the ZNPP perimeter. They are used during the power operation of the plant, and their damage does not directly affect the safety of the six shutdown units. However, any fire on or near the site poses a risk of fire spreading to facilities that are important for safety, the agency said.

On the morning of 12 August, the head of the Dnipro Regional State Administration for Environmental Protection, Serhiy Lysak, said that the fire at Zaporizhzhya NPP had stopped.