Experts confirmed that a cooling tower's load-bearing structure at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) can be repaired and continue operating after a fire caused by an alleged strike by Ukrainian forces was put out, head of the nuclear power plant said.
According to Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, the cooling tower of the ZNPP was attacked by the Ukrainian forces, resulting in the tower catching fire on Sunday evening local time.
However, the Ukrainian side stated on Sunday that Russia set fire to the nuclear power plant, and Russia should be held accountable for this.
Currently, the radiation levels at the nuclear power plant remain within normal limits.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts on Monday visited the plant's cooling towers to assess the impact of fire.
Their observations suggested that the primary source of the fire was unlikely to have originated at the base of the cooling tower. They did not find any remains of tyres or drones during their inspection and noted no significant disturbance of debris, ash, or soot at the tower's base.
In a statement, the IAEA confirmed that the nuclear safety of the plant was not affected, as the cooling towers are currently not in operation.
Moreover, no radioactive material was detected in the vicinity of the cooling towers. Experts conducted radiation monitoring in the area of the cooling towers and the reactors, confirming no signs of elevated radiation levels.
The team has not been able to reach definitive conclusions regarding the cause of the fire on the basis of the findings and observations so far.
Cooling tower of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remains functional after fire put out
