I wonder what the backup plan is?
intercst
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https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-director-general-statement-to-the-iaea-board-of-governors
Absence of cooling water in the essential cooling water systems for an extended period of time would cause fuel melt and inoperability of the emergency diesel generators. However, our current assessment is that there is no immediate risk to the safety of the plant.
The IAEA staff on the site have been informed that the damage to the Nova Kakhovka dam is currently leading to about 5 cm/hour reduction in the height of the reservoir…Water in the reservoir was at around 16.4 m at 8 am. If drops below 12.7 m then it can no longer be pumped.
ISAMZ reported that ZNPP is making all efforts to pump as much water into its cooling channels and related systems as possible. In addition, non-essential consumers of water are being stopped at ZNPP to reduce the consumption of water. ZNPP management is discussing further measures to be implemented.
There are a number of alternative sources of water. A main one is…
DB2
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A Russian explainer on the Kakhovka dam from last year:
The finger-pointing from both sides has sparked fears that the dam could be deliberately destroyed — an event that experts say would likely inflict mass destruction and spark a humanitarian crisis across a swathe of southern Ukraine… According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia first mined the dam back in April and added more explosives to the floodgates and supporting structures last month…
In a catastrophic scenario, destroying the dam could send a highly destructive flood wave down the Dnipro River, causing severe flooding in large areas of southern Ukraine. Backswell would also likely flood the Inhulets River, a tributary of the Dnipro.
However, terrain levels mean the flooding would likely be worse on the Russian-held left bank of the Dnipro, making a detonation of explosives on the dam an unlikely move for Moscow.
"[Destroying the dam] would mean Russia essentially blowing its own foot off,” military analyst Michael Kofman said on the War on the Rocks podcast last month.
“[It] would flood the Russian-controlled part of Kherson [region]… much more than the western part that Ukrainians are likely to liberate."…
Lowering the river level behind the dam threatens both water supplies to Moscow-annexed Crimea and risks cutting off access to cooling water for the Russian-controlled nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
DB2
The flooding is to the south east I heard as it is lower lying than the south west. The Russian troops are to the south east.
Either side might do this. It also clears the Russians out of other pockets in the area.
The west can rush in and fix the damn later.