A Russian mobile diesel generator with a fuel reserve was located in the cooling tower ofЯ the Zaporizhzhia NPP to power the electronic warfare equipment installed on it. The same electronic warfare devices have been installed on the roofs of reactor compartments and some buildings at the ZNPP industrial site since 2022. It was the diesel generator that could have caught fire and caused the fire.
The cooling tower has drip traps made of plastic or slate. These were the ones that kept the fire burning with black, dense smoke. Since the coastline and the area around the cooling towers were mined, firefighters could not quickly reach the fire site, Energodar Segodnya reports.
IAEA overview
IAEA experts at ZNPP visited the cooling towers yesterday to see the aftermath of the fire, but found no remains of either tires or drones.
During the visit to the cooling tower, it was found that the damage was most likely concentrated in the interior of the tower at the level where the nozzles are located, at a height of approximately ten meters. The IAEA experts have requested access to this level, but have so far inspected only the lower part of the nozzles.
They also inspected the cold water basin, which is the base of the cooling tower, from the outside and also requested direct access to it. The team was not allowed to access these two locations during today’s inspection for security reasons.
Burnt plastic and radiation
During the visit to the affected cooling tower, the team observed burned areas in the internal equipment of the cooling tower at a height near the level of the distribution nozzles. They also observed droplets of burned plastic and fragments of fallen concrete scattered around the cold water basin.
Debris samples, including burnt plastic, were collected. The team assessed the persistent fire odor and determined that, in the absence of a sulfur odor, it was most likely caused by burning plastic.
Radiation monitoring in the vicinity of the cooling towers and reactors confirmed that the radiation background was normal. At present, the IAEA team was unable to draw final conclusions based on the data and observations. The experts will continue their analysis after additional inspection and access to the nozzle level and cold water pool.
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