Chernobyl: Decades after world's worst nuclear disaster, power site goes solar

Published : Oct 07, 2018, 03:37 PM IST
Chernobyl: Decades after world's worst nuclear disaster, power site goes solar

Synopsis

The Chernobyl disaster occurred in 1986 when a reactor suffered a catastrophic power increase, leading to explosions in its core

Chernobyl: A power plant was unveiled in Chernobyl, Ukraine on Friday, a little away from a power station that caused the world's worst nuclear disaster 30 years ago.

The area around the plant is now part of an exclusion zone spanning 2,600 sq km. 

The Chernobyl plant was decommissioned and forced to close in 2000. 

The Chernobyl disaster occurred in 1986 when a reactor suffered a catastrophic power increase, leading to explosions in its core. Large amounts of radioactive elements were emitted into the atmosphere due to a lack of proper vessel for the reactor. The radiations had spread across parts of Europe, leading to a rise in cases of thyroid cancer. 

The Ukraine government wants to develop renewable energy companies in the abandoned land. The site is speculated to create energy to power 2,000 households. 

Evhen Variagin, the chief executive of Solar Chernobyl LLC said, "It's not just another solar power plant. It's really hard to underestimate the symbolism of this particular project".

However, people will not be able to live in the evacuated, abandoned area for thousands of years to come, the Ukrainian authorities said. 

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