To the 40th Anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster
Forty years have passed since the tragedy at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant – on the night of April 26, 1986, the explosion of the fourth reactor turned the plant into the epicenter of a global catastrophe.
The most severe consequences of the accident were felt by Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Approximately 200,000 square kilometers were contaminated by radioactive fallout.
Given the scale and long-term nature of the disaster’s aftermath, the UN General Assembly, at the initiative of the CIS member states, proclaimed April 26 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl Disaster in 2016.
According to assessments by most international experts in the field of nuclear energy, the possibility of safely using nuclear power while reducing risks to minimal acceptable levels at the current stage of technological development is evident. Moreover, in terms of climate sustainability and the finite nature of fossil resources, nuclear energy in several cases has no suitable alternative.
Today, nuclear energy plays a significant role in the global energy balance, with large-scale electricity generation offering the greatest benefit.
Currently, nuclear reactors are in operation in 32 countries worldwide, including the CIS countries – Armenia, Belarus and Russia – with new nuclear power plants under construction in Kazakhstan and a nuclear power plant with a small modular reactor under construction in Uzbekistan; Kyrgyzstan now is considering the possibility of constructing a nuclear power plant.
Looking ahead to 2030, the use of nuclear technologies in the CIS space will enter a new stage, including improving the efficiency of NPP operations, widespread application of non-energy nuclear technologies in medicine and other economic sectors, beginning the introduction of dual-component nuclear energy technologies with a closed nuclear fuel cycle, expanding research in fusion science and technologies, creating new materials and technologies for energy systems, and introducing digital technologies.
Issues of ensuring nuclear security and consolidating efforts to prevent radiation accidents are reflected in the Statement of the Heads of State of the CIS Member States on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl NPP disaster.
Given the large-scale long-term consequences of this tragedy, the leaders of the Commonwealth countries have called on the international community to continue cooperation in this area both bilaterally and multilaterally, to improve measures aimed at preventing such disasters, and to exchange experience and technologies to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities and the protection of public health around the world.
Read the full article in Russian via the link.