Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

Date: April 26, 1986 • Location: Kryva Hora, Ukraine

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is a former nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, 16.5 kilometres (10 mi) northwest of the city of Chernobyl, 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the Belarus–Ukraine border, and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Kyiv. The plant was cooled by an engineered pond, fed by the Pripyat River about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northwest from its juncture with the Dnieper River. The RBMK type graphite-moderated reactor used in this plant is considered an unusual design. It prioritizes cost efficiency over safety compared to other reactor designs, such as the VVER pressurized water reactor.