It led to the evacuation of 100,000 people from the surrounding areas, and the nuclear radiation then leaked to the European continent.
Officially, Moscow said at the time that fewer than 50 people died from radiation, but scientists say the number is much higher.
Zaporizhia’s problem is bigger
The problem is in the station Zaporizhia It is larger than the Chernobyl reactor, as it is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, and the comparison between the two events is difficult, because they are two different facilities, according to the network. "CNBC" American.
Russian forces took control of Zaporizhia at the beginning of the war, which broke out on February 24, and returned to the forefront of events again in recent weeks, with the exchange of accusations about the bombing of the station facilities, where Ukrainian workers are still working.
The Soviets were using reactors" RBMK"Chernobyl, that is, the high-channel reactors, is an old Soviet technology, modified after the disaster, and yet it is still used to this day inside Russia, despite safety concerns.
After September 11
As for the station Zaporizhia It uses modern reactors designed to deal with strong strikes, such as a plane crash.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this station was reinforced with reinforced concrete (some estimates say it was 10 meters of cement), steel and fire extinguishing tools against attacks that included the collision of a large civilian aircraft in it, according to "The Guardian"The buildings of the Zaporizhia station were physically tested against these attacks.
However, experts say these measures are not enough.
The problem surrounding the Zaporozhye station is that it is still in the midst of fire. Russia is currently running polls In four Ukrainian regions to join, one of which is Zaporizhiawhich means that the risk of being bombed continues for the foreseeable future.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the situation in the vicinity of the nuclear plant may change at any moment.
Multiple scenarios
Experts say quoted by the network "CNBC" The US states that the nuclear plant is located on a battlefield, and there are munitions much more powerful than the aircraft that have been used.
Hamish Britton-Gordon, who commanded the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Forces in Britain and"NATO"، "Fighting from a nuclear plant is insane. It’s not a good idea".
What increases the risks in the nuclear plant, according to the Atomic Energy Agency, is the lack of spare parts, as well as the matter for maintenance work, as well as the confusion of communications with the team inside the station, according to the newspaper. "The Guardian".
Another serious concern is the weakness of the nuclear plant’s cooling system, according to James Acton, co-director of the nuclear program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
This means, according to Acton, that the scenarios of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred in Japan in 2011 are likely, at which time seismic tsunamis led to the occurrence of "nuclear fusion" Inside the facility, many people contracted cancer as a result of the radiation leak.
It is estimated that if the cooling systems fail, the reactor may collapse and there may be an impact on a 30-kilometre radius.
The danger in Zaporozhye is not limited to the nuclear plant, there are silos containing nuclear waste in the ocean, and the surrounding soil can emit radiation if it is disturbed.
The worst possibility
In the event that the fire reached inside the nuclear plant and led to its destruction, the radioactive contamination will not be confined to the area of the nuclear plant, as in the case of Chernobyl, and experts estimate that this country will be exposed to radiation:
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Turkey
Visiting researcher at the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester, British, Juan Matthews, says that in the event of a major accident at the nuclear plant, the repercussions will first affect the Odessa region on the Black Sea (located in southwestern Ukraine).
Black Sea
The nuclear plant is located on the southern bank of the Dnieper River, and if radioactive materials leak into the river, they will eventually flow into the Black Sea, which may kill the fish industry in this sea, which is overlooked by 6 countries.
According to the site "politco"the slightest scenario that may occur if the least dangerous facilities of the station are hit, the radioactive materials will reach a distance of up to 10-20 kilometers, and we are talking here about spent fuel stores.
Information about Zaporizhia Station
- The largest nuclear plant in Europe.
- This station was built in the eighties of the last century, and is therefore considered relatively new.
- The plant contains 6 nuclear reactors called pressurized water reactors.
- The plant produces about 5,700 megawatts, and provides about 20% of electricity consumption in Ukraine.
“>
It is a disaster Chernobyl The nuclear accident that occurred in Ukraine in 1986, when it was part of the Soviet Union, is the largest of its kind.
It led to the evacuation of 100,000 people from the surrounding areas, and the nuclear radiation then leaked to the European continent.
Officially, Moscow said at the time that fewer than 50 people died from radiation, but scientists say the number is much higher.
Zaporizhia’s problem is bigger
The problem is in the station Zaporizhia It is larger than the Chernobyl reactor, as it is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, and the comparison between the two events is difficult, as they are two different facilities, according to the American “CNBC” network.
Russian forces took control of Zaporizhia at the beginning of the war, which broke out on February 24, and returned to the forefront of events again in recent weeks, with the exchange of accusations about the bombing of the station facilities, where Ukrainian workers are still working.
The Soviets were using “RBMK” reactors, i.e. high channel reactors, in Chernobyl, an old Soviet technology, modified after the disaster, but still being used to this day inside Russia, despite safety concerns.
After September 11
As for the station Zaporizhia It uses modern reactors designed to deal with strong strikes, such as a plane crash.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this station was reinforced with reinforced concrete (some estimates say it was 10 meters of cement), steel and fire extinguishing tools against attacks that included the collision of a large civilian plane in it, according to the “Guardian”, and the buildings of the Zaporizhia station were actually tested against these attacks.
However, experts say these measures are not enough.
The problem surrounding the Zaporozhye station is that it is still in the midst of fire. Russia is currently running polls In four Ukrainian regions to join, one of which is Zaporizhiawhich means that the risk of being bombed continues for the foreseeable future.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the situation in the vicinity of the nuclear plant may change at any moment.
Multiple scenarios
Experts quoted by the American network “CNBC” say that the nuclear plant is located in a battlefield, and there is much more powerful ammunition than the plane that was used.
“Fighting from a nuclear plant is insane. It’s not a good idea,” says Hamish Britton-Gordon, who has commanded Britain’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense forces and NATO.
What increases the risks in the nuclear plant, according to the Atomic Energy Agency, is the lack of spare parts, as well as the matter for maintenance work, as well as the confusion of communications with the team inside the station, according to the newspaper “The Guardian”.
Another serious concern is the weakness of the nuclear plant’s cooling system, according to James Acton, co-director of the nuclear program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
This means, according to Acton, that the scenarios of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred in Japan in 2011 are likely, when seismic tsunami waves at that time led to a “nuclear fusion” inside the facility, as a result of which many people contracted cancer from the radiation leak.
It is estimated that if the cooling systems fail, the reactor may collapse and there may be an impact on a 30-kilometre radius.
The danger in Zaporozhye is not limited to the nuclear plant, there are silos containing nuclear waste in the ocean, and the surrounding soil can emit radiation if it is disturbed.
The worst possibility
In the event that the fire reached inside the nuclear plant and led to its destruction, the radioactive contamination will not be confined to the area of the nuclear plant, as in the case of Chernobyl, and experts estimate that this country will be exposed to radiation:
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Turkey
Visiting researcher at the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester, British, Juan Matthews, says that in the event of a major accident at the nuclear plant, the repercussions will first affect the Odessa region on the Black Sea (located in southwestern Ukraine).
Black Sea
The nuclear plant is located on the southern bank of the Dnieper River, and if radioactive materials leak into the river, they will eventually flow into the Black Sea, which may kill the fish industry in this sea, which is overlooked by 6 countries.
According to the “Politco” website, the simplest scenario that may occur in the event of hitting the least dangerous facilities of the station, the radioactive materials will reach a distance of up to 10-20 kilometers, and we are talking here about spent fuel stores.
Information about Zaporizhia station
- The largest nuclear plant in Europe.
- This station was built in the eighties of the last century, and is therefore considered relatively new.
- The plant contains 6 nuclear reactors called pressurized water reactors.
- The plant produces about 5,700 megawatts, and provides about 20% of electricity consumption in Ukraine.