15m ago / 9:13 AM UTC
Nuclear plant could lose access to reservoir but there’s ‘no risk in the short term’
International Atomic Energy Agency said that the Kakhovka Reservoir was draining so quickly that the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant might not be able pump water out of the lake in a few days to cool their reactors.
IAEA experts and others have said that the plant is not in immediate danger. The reactors of the nuclear power plant are currently shut down, so they only need a small amount water to prevent them from melting. The plant is stocked with enough water to last “several months” but it can also draw from other sources if needed, said IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi in a Tuesday statement.
The reservoir level dropped by 33 inches between 10 a.m. (local time) and 8 p.m. (2 a.m., and 1 p.m. ET). The reservoir depth dropped by around 50 feet. The IAEA warned that if it drops below 41.6 feet, then the nuclear power plant will be unable to pump water.
It is impossible to say exactly when it will happen. This level could be reached within the next few days if the current rate continues.
