IAEA: Worrying Accident At ZNPP

The fifth power unit is in a “hot shutdown” condition.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that the chemical boron had been detected in the secondary cooling circuit of one of the steam generators of reactor unit 5 at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), occupied by Russians.

“The IAEA experts have been informed that the chemical boron has been detected in the secondary cooling circuit of one of the steam generators of reactor unit 5, which is currently in hot shutdown. Borated water is used in the primary coolant to help maintain nuclear safety,” the message by the IAEA reads.

The site has increased the frequency of boron measurements in the secondary cooling circuit of unit 5.

“The measurements remain relatively stable and are within the limits permitted by the reactor’s technical specifications. No radioactivity has been detected in the secondary cooling circuit.,” the report reads.

The Russian occupation administration of the ZNPP informed IAEA experts that, as the boron concentration remains within the allowable limits, the site intends to keep unit 5 in hot shutdown, which will be reassessed after all the boilers, used for heating in the nearby town of Enerhodar, have started operating.

The IAEA said the invaders continue to keep reactor units 4 and 5 in hot shutdown to provide heating and steam for nuclear safety purposes on site, as well as heating for Enerhodar, where most plant staff live. In addition, it is noted that Ukraine’s national regulator, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), issued regulatory orders in June to limit the operation of all six units of the ZNPP to a cold shutdown state.