Drone explodes near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, situation deteriorates: IAEA

The security situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in eastern Ukraine has "deteriorated" following a drone explosion near the plant, Rafael Mariano Gross, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement on the IAEA's website

The explosion took place just outside the safety perimeter of the plant, 100 meters from a critical power supply line, Grossi said Aug. 17.

"We see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant," Grossi added. "I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides."

The explosion appears to have come from an unidentified drone that fell in the area, according to the IAEA.

The IAEA team based at the plant immediately visited the area and reported that the damage seemed to have been caused by a drone equipped with an explosive payload, the IAEA said in the statement. There were no casualties and no impact on any nuclear plant equipment, the IAEA added. However, there was impact to the road between the two main gates of the Zaporizhzhia plant.

The impact site was close to the essential cooling water sprinkler ponds and about 100 meters from the Dniprovska power line, the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing power to the plant.

All six 1,000-MW units at the Zaporizhzhia plant were shut in September 2022 due to security concerns following Russia's Feb. 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The plant has been under Russian military control since March 2022. The plant is getting about 100 MW of power supplies from the Ukrainian power grid for continuous cooling of nuclear fuel and to prevent overheating and a potential accident.

The drone explosion came just a week after a significant fire at one of Zaporizhzhia's cooling towers resulted in considerable damage, although no immediate threat to nuclear safety, according to the IAEA.

The IAEA team has reported that military activity in the area, including very close to the plant, has been intense for the last week. The team has heard frequent explosions, repetitive heavy machine gun and rifle fire and artillery at various distances from the plant, the IAEA also said.