Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Site Sees Sunny Future

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Ukraine has plans to turn the site of the world's worst nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl into a giant solar power farm.

In an effort to reduce its energy dependence on its antagonistic neighbour Russia, Ukraine believes that the 'exclusion zone'--2,600 square kilometres of land in and around the power plant--could be used to build a variety of renewable energy projects ranging from solar to biogas and heating projects. The government believes that up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar and 400 MW from other renewable projects could be generated from the site.

Nothing has been allowed within the exclusion zone for 30 years. In 1986, an explosion and fire at the Unit 4 reactor killed more 30 people and forced the permanent evacuation of 100,000 people from the surrounding area. The melted reactor left significant amounts of material containing nuclear fuel in the lower floors of the building which have been covered with a temporary cover ever since. Units 1,2 and 3 continued to operate for a long time after the event as they were deemed vital to Ukraine's power supply. They were shut down gradually between 1991 and 2000.

"The Chernobyl site has really good potential for renewable energy," Ukraine's environment minister Ostap Semerak told the media. "We already have high-voltage transmission lines that were previously used for the nuclear stations, the land is very cheap, and we have many people trained to work at power plants. We have normal European priorities, which means having the best standards regarding the environment and clean energy ambitions."

He added: "We ask our partners and investors to look on this territory [the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone] with new understanding. Not as a territory of catastrophe but as a place of future development."

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has already said that it would, under the right conditions, be prepared to help fund the project.

"Some of the infrastructure at the former nuclear power station can be repurposed for solar power, and there's a ready supply of personnel skilled in electricity generation and distribution," said the EBRD. "The EBRD may consider participating in the project so long as there are viable investment proposals and all other environmental matters and risks can be addressed to the Bank's satisfaction."

The EBRD has already funded a significant amount of the clean-up operations at Chernobyl, including the giant containment arch being constructed over the destroyed Unit 4, which entered its final stage last year. The giant steel and concrete arch, known as the New Safe Confinement, stands 110 metres tall, is 165 metres long and has an arch span of 257 metres. With a lifespan of 100 years it will provide the infrastructure to support the deconstruction of the shelter and nuclear waste management operations. The cost of the arch alone stands at 1.5 billion euro ($1.6 billion). For additional information, see March 24, 2015, article - Chernobyl Nuclear Cover Enters Final Phase.

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