NPP of Ukraine is a worthy support of the country's economy

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The nuclear power plant is the pinnacle of the technical power of the state, the triumph of scientific research and many years of painstaking research. Of course, Ukraine is included in the list of countries where nuclear energy works for the benefit of the inhabitants.

Backstory

It has been more than twenty years since the end of World War II. Long gone are the days when only light bulbs were electrical appliances in the house. Life was arranged, and living conditions improved. Not without difficulty, but the population could purchase equipment powered by electricity: refrigerators, televisions, irons.

The load on the network, which was not originally designed for such consumption, has significantly increased. The government was faced with a choice: build more traditional thermal and hydroelectric power plants, or not lose the palm, preferring the development of nuclear energy.

The end of the sixties is the time when the world was just beginning to think about the harm caused by human activities to the environment. But the first sprouts of understanding the need to care for the planet have already begun to grow and grow stronger.

Thermal stations worked on coal and could not be called environmentally friendly in principle, given thatthe amount of harmful substances they emitted into the atmosphere. Huge areas of fertile Ukrainian black soil had to be sacrificed for the sake of hydroelectric power plants - not the most rational choice.

After long disputes and assurances from physicists, the green light was given to the Ukrainian NPP project. The search for a suitable construction site has begun.

First station

In May 1970, large-scale construction of the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine began. The place was chosen only eleven kilometers from the border with Belarus. Nuclear energy in Ukraine was supposed to start with the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The first phase of the massive project was completed seven years later. In September 1977, the first reactor was launched. By 1983, four power units had already been built. The total capacity is four megawatts.

In total, the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine was supposed to have six reactors, the construction of the latter was almost completed. But they were never destined to earn.

At 01:23 on April 26, 1986, an explosion was heard, the analogues of which had not previously been known to mankind. The atom has shown that, if misused, it can be far from peaceful.

It is impossible to calculate the losses caused by the disaster: millions of allocated funds for restoration, lost equipment, evacuated cities, the exclusion zone, but most importantly, the illness and death of many brave liquidators who, at the cost of their he alth and life, gave a chance to survive to many others.

Despite the fully operational condition of the remaining power units, the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine was graduallywithdrawn from the power grids of Ukraine. Power generation was stopped on December 15, 2000.

Second station

Without waiting for the completion of the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the construction of the Rivne nuclear power plant was started, four kilometers from the city of Kuznetsovsk. The first reactor was put into operation seven years later. In total, the station has four power units, the last of which was put into operation in 2003. The total capacity today is 2835 MW, which is enough to power several small towns. Two more planned power units were subsequently abandoned.

Rovno station was the first in the Soviet Union to be tested by the World Atomic Energy Organization "IAEA".

Rivne NPP produces a fifth of all electricity generated by Ukrainian NPPs.

Third station

In 1975, construction began on the third Ukrainian nuclear power plant in the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk, Mykolaiv region, which was specially built to accommodate the station's staff.

The first power unit was connected to the grid after seven years. The last one was in 1989. The number of reactors is three, with a total capacity of three thousand MW.

The total share of energy produced among Ukrainian nuclear power plants is ten percent. This amount is enough to cover the demand for electricity in Mykolaiv, Kherson and Odessa regions. Part of the energy goes to the Crimean peninsula.

Fourth station

To the beginning of the eighties acutelythere was a shortage of energy in the western regions. In 1981, the construction of the Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant in Netishyn began.

Grand opening in 1987

The number of power units is two. The second reactor was launched in 2004. Total power 2 MW.

The planned number of power units is four. But the start of construction work has been postponed indefinitely due to insufficient funding. A possible partner for the construction of the remaining blocks is China.

Fifth Station

In the same 1981, the construction of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in the city of Energodar began.

Currently, this is the largest European station. The number of power units is six, the total capacity is 6000 MW. This is half of the energy produced at nuclear power plants in Ukraine.

The need to build a nuclear power plant in the region was dictated by the concentration of energy-intensive non-ferrous industry. In addition to the nuclear power plant, the region actively uses the production of all types of energy: wind, solar, thermal, and hydro.

Conclusion

Nuclear energy is more important than ever for the energy market. Nuclear power plants of Ukraine are the fuel of the economy. Thanks to this type of energy, the shortage of electricity is covered both domestically and abroad.

Now you know how many nuclear power plants there are in Ukraine. There are only five of them, one of which is closed.