Chernobyl and the future of nuclear energy in the East

Exactly ten years ago, a nuclear reactor exploded in Chernobyl. The incident has already been discussed more than enough in the media, but here the facts are put forward according to an engineer’s viewpoint. Although the accident revealed the extraordinary ability of the Red Army to mobilize its forces, it also allowed for an assessment of the weaknesses of the safety conditions in numerous plants in operation in the Eastern countries. The site, still contaminated, threatens to contaminate the ground water in the long run. This prospect is frustrating plans for redevelopment of nuclear grounds in Western countries. Therefore, they are preparing to finance the elimination of this risk. But the technical uncertainties, the difficult coordination of the donors, and the socio-political reactions of the Ukraine are acting as so many brakes to this undertaking.