Staffing levels at facility ‘continue to be a concern’, says IAEA .

Engineers at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station have completed drilling of 10 groundwater wells, bringing the facility close to having a longer-term solution for the provision of cooling water to the shutdown reactors after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said over 200 cubic metres of water can now be supplied to the sprinkler ponds that cool Zaporizhzhia’s six reactors and spent fuel.

The IAEA has been informed that engineers intend to drill an additional well bringing the total to 11 wells which is hoped to provide the approximately 250 cubic metres of water per hour to maintain the cooling of the reactors and spent fuel pools in the current shutdown state.

The Zaporizhzhia cooling pond remains intact, containing a large volume of water that can also provide cooling to the Zaporizhzhia’s shutdown reactors for many months, the IAEA said.

Staffing levels at the station continue to be a concern with a significant number of staff having left since the start of the armed conflict, including licensed operators from the main control rooms.

IAEA experts have been told that recruitment of additional staff from Russian nuclear power plants continues and that they are being trained and licensed under the Russia’s regulations.

The IAEA team at the Zaporizhzhia site “continues to gather information on the number and qualifications of main control room operators to better understand the situation”.

Zaporizhzhia is near the frontline of fighting in southern Ukraine. It has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022.