Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant faces critical cooling risks

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, is facing a critical energy crisis. The plant has been without external power for over a week, forcing reliance on emergency diesel generators to power the cooling systems for its six shut-down reactors and spent fuel storage pools.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed concern regarding diesel fuel reserves, noting that without the restoration of external power or additional fuel deliveries, the plant could face a total power failure within approximately ten days. Due to the ongoing conflict, the external diesel storage site has not been replenished for nearly six months.

Nuclear safety expert Nikolaus Müllner warns that if diesel generators fail and cooling is lost, the water surrounding the reactor cores will gradually heat up and evaporate. This could lead to rising pressure, hydrogen formation, and potential hydrogen explosions, eventually resulting in a core meltdown. While the process at the currently shut-down reactors may take about a month to reach such a stage, the situation remains highly precarious.