‘Ukraine wants solar power plant around Chernobyl nuclear reactor area’

Spread the love

The Ukrainian government is said to have plans to convert the area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear reactor into a solar power plant. With that, it could generate about a third of the energy that the nuclear power plant did before the accident in 1986.

The plans have not been officially presented, but The Guardian has seen a presentation the Ukrainian government has sent to major banks, likely to get funding. The presentation shows that a solar power plant that generates 1000MW of power should appear in the uninhabitable part around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. There are also plans for other forms of renewable energy, such as the production of biogas. 400MW is in the books for this, bringing the total to approximately 1400MW. When the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was still functioning, it could generate 4000MW.

The advantage of a solar power station in the Chernobyl area is that the land is particularly cheap. That’s because it has been declared uninhabitable and unsuitable for uses such as agriculture. In addition, Ukraine has a relatively large amount of sunshine, which means that it could achieve a high return with solar energy.

Whether there will actually be financing for the solar power plant and other forms of renewable energy is still unclear. According to The Guardian, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development would be interested in providing financing for the project. Previously, this bank contributed to a large sarcophagus that should contain the destroyed nuclear reactor, and thus protect against the release of radioactive radiation.

On April 26, 1986, nuclear reactor number four exploded, spreading radioactive material over a large area. The disaster immediately killed 31 people, but radioactive contamination caused many more victims afterwards.

You might also like