Small modular reactors could be built in the Chernobyl zone in the future

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and its surroundings are infamous for the nuclear accident in the 1980s. Nevertheless, the remaining three units continued operating after the accident, with the last one permanently shut down only in 2000. In the future, however, nuclear power generation could return to the exclusion zone. Ukraine’s state agency has identified potential sites in the zone for small modular reactors (SMRs).

Last year, the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management conducted intensive measurements in the zone, according to World Nuclear News. The agency’s activities included collecting more than 4 thousand samples and conducting more than 15 thousand field measurements, as well as over 9 thousand laboratory analyses. According to the agency, radiation levels in the exclusion zone remain stable, with no significant changes detected.

According to the agency’s report, the exclusion zone offers promising potential for renewable energy development, including the construction of solar power plants and other energy sources. The agency also worked on the possible siting of small modular reactors together with state-owned Energoatom, which operates all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.

During this process, it identified potential sites for new nuclear power facilities, specifically in the villages of Kopachi and Leliv. Both sites are within a ten-kilometre radius of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and have been abandoned since the accident.

The agency also carried out work to develop infrastructure for radioactive waste management, including research related to the construction of a permanent repository. According to the agency, 210 organised visits to the zone took place last year, with participants including representatives of the European Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as diplomats and government representatives from Germany, France, the US, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and other countries. The delegations also included experts in nuclear and radiation safety.

In addition to building new conventional nuclear power facilities, Ukraine is also exploring options for constructing modular reactors. Energoatom has previously signed an agreement with Holtec, and is also in talks with other potential suppliers of modular reactors.