Solar energy plant opens on site of Chernobyl disaster
127 views · Published 26 November 2018 · 6:44 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(21 Nov 2018) LEADIN: A new green energy plant has opened on the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster. Solar energy panels have been installed just 100 metres from the Chernobyl reactor that exploded on April 26, 1986. STORYLINE: Rows of solar panels generating electricity from the sun in Ukraine. But it's the location of this solar energy plant that makes it unique. It's been set up inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. Since opening in October, Solar Chernobyl - a joint project of Germany's Enerparc AG Consortium and Ukrainian company Rodina - has been producing renewable energy and is capable of delivering one megawatt of power. The CEO of Solar Chernobyl, Yevgen Variagin says: "We think this is the best place for solar energy projects, because this land has suffered so much due to the catastrophe which happened 32 years ago and we think by such a project we can bring it back to the humanity. And this is an example how solar energy should be developed and how investment can be brought to the country in transparent way." The new plant is connected to the nuclear plant's former energy systems and is now ready to deliver energy to consumers. Variagin says the solar panels are also helping to power the existing facilities of the nuclear power plant. Despite all the nuclear units being shutdown, around 2,000 people continue to work there to support the existing infrastructure and facilities. The panels are just 100 metres from the number 4 reactor which is covered by the New Safe Confinement, a structure built to prevent the release of radioactive materials. The Chernobyl explosion released about 400 times more radiation than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima. Dozens of people were killed in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and the explosion sent a radioactive cloud over Europe and forced the evacuation of about 115,000 people. The final death toll from Chernobyl is subject to speculation, due to the long-term effects of radiation, but ranges from an estimate of 9,000 by the World Health Organisation to one of a possible 90,000 by the environmental group Greenpeace. It's taken almost five years to build the solar station with extra care taken to ensure no contamination or risk to employees. Director of Rodina, Kostyantyn Logunov says it was a challenging operation to build in the exclusion zone. "This station (plant) is unique as any excavation is prohibited here. So all the system was built using ballast method and is attached to concrete blocks," he says. The solar power station produces enough energy to supply around 2,000 households. The future strategy is to increase the energy generated to 100 megawatts. An engineer of Solar Chernobyl, Olexander Kobyak says: "The plant can work in completely automatic mode. A human, like everywhere, is needed only for control and removing of any small malfunctions that may happen. We haven't had them yet, but they can happen. At this moment the plant can be run absolutely automatically without people's presence." The Ukrainian government has supported the project and wants to utilise more of the contaminated area for renewable energy production. However safety remains a priority and the strategy is to keep as many people away from the exclusion zone as possible. Local ecologist Serhiy Myrnyi says the project will help revive the area. A step forward to produce clean energy from the contamination of the past. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/28a5cb36aacdded39dec576de82b9c24
