Publication Laka-library:
Chernobyl and nuclear power in the USSR (1987)
| Author | D.R.Marples |
| Date | 1987 |
| Classification | 2.34.8.10/67 (CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT - CONSEQUENCES SURROUNDINGS - GENERAL) |
| Front | 
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From the publication:
Introduction The Chernobyl nuclear disaster marks a watershed in the history of the world nuclear power industry. The accident in the northern reaches of Ukraine received world attention as soon as the radiation cloud that resulted drifted over Scandinavia. The Soviet authorities, who had not divulged any news about the accident two days after the event slowly began to release information. In the meantime, Western press agencies began to speculate, sometimes wildly, about what had taken place and the number of casualties that may result. At the time of writing, there have been no firm conclusions about the causes of the accident, although it seems clear that it was a result of both technological problems and human error. This book analyzes the Soviet nuclear power industry. In origin, it predates the Chernobyl accident, but inevitably its format has been determined by that event. It seeks the answers to several pertinent questions. First, why have the Soviet authorities committed themselves so heavily to the development of nuclear energy, given that the USSR is one of the only two countries in the world that can lay claim to a energy self- sufficiency? Second, has the speed with which the industry is being developed led to the neglect of the safety of citizens and the environment? Is there, for example, a well-documented history of neglect and general safety problems at Soviet nuclear power plants? Third, is Chernobyl representative of the nuclear power industry in the USSR? Are there nuclear plants in a similar condition, facing similar dilemmas with supply and a lack of qualified and a surplus of dissatisfied workers? If so, does the Soviet industry constitute a living danger for the world at large? Finally, what will be the long-term effects of the accident, both on the immediate environment, for agriculture, and for the Soviet energy programme?
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