Is the cooling water running low? – After the dam explosion, “fatal consequences” threaten nuclear power plants

Because the cooling systems of the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine depend on the Dnipro reservoir, the situation there is becoming increasingly precarious, warns Astrid Sahm, an expert at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin. The situation is not acute at the moment because water reservoirs can be used nearby, Sahm told APA. But she speaks of “playing with fire”. Because the water flows unimpeded through the dam, which is said to have been deliberately blown up by Russian troops. The water level in the lake had dropped by a meter within 24 hours and stood at 13.05 meters on Thursday morning (07:00 CEST), the operator of Kiev’s Ukrhydroenergo hydroelectric power station said.

“Very fatal consequences” possible
In addition to the already tense situation, supply problems and the fact that there is only one working power line to the plant, there are now also cooling water problems, says expert Sahm. It cannot be ruled out that the nuclear power plant, which has been shut down since September, may have “very fatal consequences”. The true extent of the consequences is currently still difficult to estimate, but radiation protection exercises were held in Zaporizhia on Wednesday.

The affected areas, including the animal and plant world, were massively affected by the water masses. According to Astrid Sahm, almost the entire harvest has been destroyed there. It also points to an increasing risk of infectious diseases. The Eastern Europe and environmental policy expert emphasizes that “environmental problems are very consciously accepted” in the war in Ukraine. This can be seen, for example, in the heavy reclamation of nature reserves.

Red Cross warns of mine danger
Large numbers of anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines were also laid in the affected area. The partial destruction of the Kachowka dam will also have disastrous consequences for the location of these landmines, warns the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “We knew where the dangers were,” Erik Tollefsen, chief of the ICRC’s gun exposure division, said Wednesday. “Now we don’t know. We just know they’re downstream somewhere.”

This is very worrying, both for the affected population and “for all those who come to help”. For several months now, the ICRC has been assisting with mine clearance operations in Ukraine, mapping and marking minefields, and providing training and equipment. “Now that’s all washed away,” he said.

There’s a lot to be said for the Russians blowing it up
Moscow and Kiev blame each other for the destruction of the dam in southern Ukraine. The military analyst and commander of the guard of the Austrian armed forces, Markus Reisner, believes that Russia blew up the dam. This is supported by “the fact that the Russians have mined the dam and have repeatedly threatened to blow it up and break the dam. The fact that the dam was under their control speaks for a responsibility on the part of the Russians. They probably wanted to prevent Ukraine’s advance, especially an amphibious landing in the south,” the military expert said in the “profile” interview.

Large parts in the south of the 1,200 kilometer long front are temporarily unusable for military purposes due to the flooding. Reisner also recalled that Ukraine stopped the Russian advance on Kiev by blowing up a dam. “Northwest of Kiev, at the beginning of the war, the Ukrainians blew up the entrance to the Irpin River. By flooding the riverbed and blowing up important bridge crossings, it was possible to stop the Russians. Access to Kiev from the west was blocked for them,” explains Reisner.

The World Bank wants to assess damage quickly
Meanwhile, the World Bank wants to help Ukraine with a rapid assessment of flood damage and needs. The dam’s destruction has “many very serious consequences for the provision of essential services and the environment in general,” Anna Bjerde, chief operating officer at the World Bank, wrote on Twitter.