The IAEA confirmed the leakage of water from the first circuit of the fifth power unit of the ZNPP
At the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP, borated water leaked from the coolant of the first circuit into the secondary cooling circuit of one of the steam generators of reactor unit No. 5.
This is reported on the website of the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA).
“The IAEA experts were informed that the chemical substance boron was detected in the secondary cooling circuit of one of the steam generators of reactor unit No. 5, which is currently in a state of “hot shutdown”. Boronized water is used in the primary coolant to maintain nuclear safety,” it is said in the message.
According to the IAEA, the station increased the frequency of boron content measurements in the secondary cooling circuit of power unit No. 5.
“Measurements remain relatively stable and are within the limits allowed by the technical characteristics of the reactor. No radioactivity was detected in the secondary cooling circuit,” the report said.
The Russian administration of the ZNPP informed the IAEA experts that “since the concentration of boron remains within the permissible limits, the plant intends to keep power unit No. 5 in the “hot shutdown” mode, which will be reassessed after all the boiler rooms used for heating in the nearby city of Energodar”.
According to the IAEA, the Russian administration of the ZNPP keeps reactor units #4 and #5 in a state of “hot shutdown” to provide heat and steam for nuclear safety purposes at the site, as well as to heat Energodar, where most of the plant’s personnel live. It was also pointed out that the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine issued regulatory orders in June limiting the operation of all six power units of the ZNPP to a state of “cold shutdown”.
Earlier, Energoatom stated that the Russians continue to violate the technical requirements for the operation of equipment at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, primarily at power units 2, 4 and 6.