Nuclear power station is the peak of the technical power of the state, the triumph of scientific research and many years of painstaking research. Of course, Ukraine is on the list of countries in which nuclear energy works for the benefit of residents.
Background
More than twenty years have passed since the end of World War II. Long gone are the days when there were only light bulbs in the house from electrical appliances. Life was arranged, and living conditions improved. Not without difficulty, but the population could acquire equipment powered by electricity: refrigerators, televisions, irons.
Significantly increased the load on the network, which was not originally designed for such consumption. The government was faced with a choice: to build more traditional thermal and hydroelectric power stations, or not to miss the palm, giving preference to the development of nuclear energy.
The end of the sixties is the time when the world was just beginning to think about the harm caused by human ecology. But the first germs of understanding the need for caring for the planet have already begun to grow and grow stronger.
Thermal stations worked on coal and could not be called environmentally friendly, in principle, given the amount of harmful substances that they emitted into the atmosphere. For the sake of hydroelectric power plants, it was necessary to sacrifice huge territories of fertile Ukrainian black soil - not the most rational choice.
After long disputes and assurances of physicists, the green light was given to the design of the Ukrainian NPP. The search began for a suitable site for construction.
First station
In May 1970, large-scale construction of the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine began. The place was chosen only eleven kilometers from the border with Belarus. Nuclear power in Ukraine was supposed to start from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The first phase of a large-scale project was completed seven years later. In September 1977, the first reactor was launched. By 1983, four power units had already been built. Total capacity is four megawatts.
In total, the first nuclear power plant of Ukraine was supposed to have six reactors, the construction of the latter was almost completed. But they were never destined to earn.
At 01:23 04/26/1986 there was an explosion, analogues of which previously did not know humanity. The atom showed that with improper use it can be far from peaceful.
It is impossible to calculate the losses caused by the disaster: millions of allocated funds for restoration, lost equipment, evacuated cities, exclusion zone, but most importantly - the illness and death of many brave liquidators who, at the cost of their health and life, presented a chance to survive for many others.
Despite the fully operational condition of the remaining power units, the first nuclear power plant of Ukraine was gradually withdrawn from the power networks of Ukraine. Power generation was stopped on December 15, 2000.
Second station
Without waiting for the completion of the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the construction of the Rivne nuclear plant began four kilometers from the city of Kuznetsovsk. The first reactor was launched seven years later. In total, the station has four power units, the last of which was put into operation in 2003. The total capacity today is 2835 MW, which is enough to power several small cities. Two more planned power units were subsequently abandoned.
The Rivne station was the first in the Soviet Union to be tested by the International Atomic Energy Organization "IAEA".
Rivne NPP produces a fifth of all electricity generated by Ukrainian NPPs.
Third station
In 1975, construction began on the third Ukrainian nuclear power plant in the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk, Mykolayiv region, which was specially built to house station staff.
The first power unit was connected to power grids seven years later. The latter - in 1989. The number of reactors is three, with a total capacity of three thousand MW.
The total share of energy produced among Ukrainian nuclear plants is ten percent. This amount is enough to cover the need for electricity in the Nikolaev, Kherson and Odessa regions. Part of the energy goes to the Crimean peninsula.
Fourth station
By the beginning of the eighties, there was an acute shortage of energy in the western regions. In 1981, the construction of the Khmelnitsky NPP in the city of Neteshin was started.
The grand opening took place in 1987.
The number of power units is two. The second reactor was launched in 2004. The total capacity of 2 MW.
The planned number of power units is four. But the start of construction work has been postponed indefinitely due to insufficient funding. A possible partner for the construction of the remaining blocks is China.
Fifth station
In the same 1981, the construction of the Zaporizhzhya NPP in the city of Energodar began.
At the moment it is the largest European station. The number of power units is six, with a total capacity of 6,000 MW. This is half of the energy produced at nuclear power plants in Ukraine.
The need to build nuclear power plants in the region was dictated by the concentration of energy-intensive color industry. In addition to the nuclear power plant, the region actively uses the production of all types of energy: wind, solar, thermal, and also hydro.
Conclusion
Nuclear power, more than ever, is important now for the energy market. Ukrainian NPPs are the fuel of the economy. Thanks to this type of energy, the deficit of electricity is covered both domestically and abroad.
Now you know how many nuclear power plants are in Ukraine. There are only five of them, one of which is closed.