4 Mar 2022 06:52

IAEA says citing Ukrainian authorities that fire at Zaporizhia NPP didn't affect 'essential' equipment

KYIV. March 4 (Interfax) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information from Ukrainian authorities, has said that the fire at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant site did not affect the "essential" equipment.

"Ukraine tells IAEA that fire at site of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has not affected "essential" equipment, plant personnel taking mitigatory actions [...]. Ukraine regulator tells IAEA there has been no change reported in radiation levels at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site," the IAEA said in a statement on Twitter.

A fire broke out at the Zaporizhia NPP on Friday night, the plant's press service said. The mayor of Energodar, Zaporizhzhya region, Dmytro Orlov, confirmed this information on social media.

Later, the press service for the Ukrainian State Emergency Situations Service noted that the fire broke out in the training building outside the plant.

"As of 2:26 a.m. local time in Energodar, the third power unit was disconnected from the unified power system (only unit 4 is operating) at the Zaporizhia NPP," the State Emergencies Service said in a statement on Facebook.

"The fire protection state at the NPP is normal," the State Emergency Situations Service said.

The Zaporizhia NPP, Europe's largest nuclear power plant in terms of installed capacity, is located in Energodar. Its six power units VVER-1000 were built according to the B-320 project. The first unit was commissioned in December 1984, the sixth unit in October 1995.

On February 28, the Russian forces, which are conducting a special operation in Ukraine, said they had taken control of the Ukrainian cities of Berdiansk and Energodar.