COUNTRY STATUS REPORT: UKRAINE

Ukraine is best known as the host of the worlds worst nuclear accident: the explosion at reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986. The catastrophe, killing 32 people directly, has and will have enormous impact on the health and economic situation of the Ukraine and other countries. An estimated 125,000 people already died in the Ukraine on the consequences and many more will follow.

Most of Ukraine's territory is still contaminated with an astonishing amount of 50,000,000 curie of various radionuclides, including the Dnieper River which is a source of drinking water for over 35,000,000 people.

Currently, approximately 7% of state budget is being spent to liquidate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident even though it has been estimated that, to fully cover the costs, it would be necessary to spent about 20%. Radioactive emssions have contaminated 10 regions, 98 administrative districts, almost 12,000 cities, towns and villages, or 36 million ha -- more than 50% of the total area of the country.

By January 1, 1995, the number of Ukrainian citizens officially considered as victims of the Chernobyl catastrophe stood at 3,014,263, including 356,617 liquidators (clean-up workers) and 870,128 children. Also on January 1, 2,405,006 persons, including 541,226 children, still lived on radioactive contaminated territory. Inhabitannts from Kiev -- about 3 million citizens, who should also be considered as Chernobyl victims -- are not included in this figure.

Many reports are written on the electricity demand in relation to the closure of the three remaining Chernobyl reactors.
In May 1994, Dutch members of the Socialists Party in the European Parliament made a report on the role of nuclear energy (more precise: Chernobyl) in the Ukraine energy demand. The main conclusion: The figures relating to the real share of nuclear energy in the total energy supply in the Ukraine have been manipulated with the result that the leaders in the West, and particularly those in the European Union, have decided upon appropriate strategy vis-à-vis the countries in the East.

The real situation is quite different; the Chernobyl plant contributes less than 1% of Ukraine's energy needs, and less than 7% of the total production of electricity (figures 1993). "It should also be noted", the summary continues "that Ukraine exported more electricity than Chernobyl produces not to mention the fact that their energy consumption is so inefficient that their industrial production consumes more than 2 1/2 times more energy than comparable industrialised countries (...)"

According to a Greenpeace Report presented by the German Öko-institute, the Ukraine can solve it's energy problems at the expense of non-nuclear capacities. About 40% of traditional thermal power plants are not working because of fuel shortages. Ukraine and foreign economists believe that with the help of organizational and technical measures, 40 to 60% of energy supply can be saved.

Block B and reactor 3

The English newspaper The Observer published on Sunday March 26, 1995 an article about the continuing radiation threat of the Chernobyl reactors. The article cited a report made by west-european scientists, ordered by the European Commission.

The worst discovery was that a building called Block B, which contains ducts, pipes and servicing equipment for Reactors 3 and 4 could collapse at any moment. The building runs between the two reactors, which are supposed to lean against it, providing it structural support. Due to the explosion in Reactor 4 half of the support has been removed, the building under severe structural strain. They found that pillars at its base are bearing loads five times their design limits and could burst at any time. It is possible that Block B could collapse over the sarcophagus, breaking the roof beams and releasing its massive amount of contaminated dust. But it is also possible that Block B fall over into the still-operational Reactor 3. This would mean a-loss-of-coolant accident and could lead to a partial meltdown.

Currently, 15 nuclear reactors, with a total capacity of some 13,000MW are in operation in the Ukraine. Six are under construction, but the actual state of affairs at some of them is quite difficult to know. Information is not always given, are not very reliable, as in many other cases..

In april this year the Ukrainian government decided to close the 3 remaining Chernobyl units, in the year 2,000 at the latest. The main importance of this breaktrough lies in the fact that the Ukraine agreed to replace the nuclear reactors by gas-generated capacity.

Unfortunately, at the meantime Ukraine decided to finnish the sixth reactor at Zaporozhe.
 
 

Written by the LAKA Foundation for Steps to a nuclear-free world
June 1995