Zaporozhye NPP Cooling Tower Sustains Severe Damage After Ukrainian Military Strike

The emergency units at the scene put out the fire by 11:30 p.m. local time

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. A cooling tower at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) sustained severe damage following the Ukrainian army’s attack, Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom said in a statement on Monday.

"Two direct strikes by Ukrainian military drones were delivered on August 11 at 8:00 p.m. [17:00 GMT] and 8:32 p.m. [17:32 GMT] on one of the two cooling towers of the Zaporozhye NPP causing a fire inside the facility," the statement reads. "The emergency units at the scene put out the fire by 11:30 p.m. [20:30 GMT]."

"However, the interior of the cooling tower sustained severe damage. The threat of the possible collapse of the structure will be assessed by specialists when the situation allows it," the agency added.

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, located in the city of Energodar, has a capacity of about 6 GW and is Europe’s largest. It has been controlled by Russian troops since late February 2022.

Since then, Ukrainian army units have periodically shelled both residential areas in Energodar and the premises of the ZNPP itself, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).