Chernobyl: November 2008 Archives

On November 21, 2008 over 25 construction companies attended a meeting in Slavutych, Ukraine. The meeting allowed representatives to hear about the prospects for new construction at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Discussions centered on the construction of a new spent nuclear fuel facility (ХОЯТ-2) and the New Safe Confinement structure that will cover Reactor 4 and the original Sarcophagus.

The event informed potential contractors about planned work at the Chernobyl facility. Obtaining information first-hand will allow the companies to better assess their ability to possibly participate in the construction projects. Detailed information was also provided about Novarka and Holtek, who won bids to implement the construction projects at the Chernobyl Plant.

Some of the companies attending the session included Ukrenergobud, Spetsstroymontazh, Ukratomenergostroy, Pivdenteploenergomontazh, Engineering Systems and other leading industrial construction companies.

The second half of my interview with former Chernobyl liquidator Sergei B is now online. I have also added an extra paragraph to Part I - I forgot to mention that Sergei wrote a novel about his Chernobyl experiences. Currently, it is only in Russian, but Sergei hopes to translate it to English and publish it in the US. If Sergei is able to get an English-language copy of his story published, I will post all the information here.


Photo: (c) Corbis/Verlag Antje Kunstmann - Liquidators preparing to go on roof of Reactor 3

Earlier this year I conducted an interview with a former liquidator who now lives in the US. In the summer of 1986, Sergei B. spent approximately one and a half months working on cleanup at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. His work included several trips to remove highly radioactive materials from the roof of Reactor 3.

Sergei recently consented to my posting our interview on this site. This two-part interview contains some fascinating revelations about why people volunteered to be liquidators, life as a liquidator in the Chernobyl Zone, life after completing service as a liquidator, and thoughts about the Soviet government’s handling of the accident and nuclear power.

It is my pleasure to present the first half of this two-part interview with a Chernobyl liquidator. Come back tomorrow for the conclusion of this intriguing interview.

Photo: © Igor Kostin/NOVOSTI - Liquidators on the roof of Reactor 3

The following video is a 2:52 slideshow of photos taken in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in 2006. Unlike most of the photos you have seen, this set is exclusively shots of elderly  residents of the Exclusion Zone (samosels).

The photos were taken by photographer Serge Van Cauwenbergh as part of a larger project.



You can also read some background on Serge’s visits with these people on his blog (the links are to Google translations into English for each blog entry):

Ganna
Olga
Olena and Sava
Maria and Micah

On October 31, 2008, four residents of the Kyiv region were found guilty of trying to removed 15 tons of contaminated, radioactive scrap metal from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. A judge in the Ivankov District Court of Kyiv found the individuals in violation of the requirements of radiation safety. Radiation from this scrap was found to be hundreds of times higher than permissible limits.

Two residents of the Ivankiv District were arrested while trying to remove 15 tons of scrap metal from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone without proper documentation.

In late May, the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office revealed that prosecutors in the Kyiv region and the General Directorate had begun combating organized crime and corruption in the Ukrainian Security Service. A task force investigating the crime found that two other people involved in the crime were members of the police force.

The prosecutor’s office instituted criminal proceedings under Article 267-1 of the Penal Code, which covers violations of radiation safety when removing items from the Exclusion Zone without providing statutory authorization, committed with the purpose of marketing.

The verdict, announced on October 31, found all four guilty of the crimes and pronounced sentence in accordance with the appropriate sanctions according to the Penal Code, including imprisonment.

Photo Credit: Pripyat.com

At a meeting of the UN General Assembly, Vitaly Churkin, permanent Russian representative to the United Nations anounced his country’s intention to provide $17 million for improved safety at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The funds will also be used to accelerate decommissioning of the plant.

The funds will be provided to the Nuclear Security Fund for the Chernobyl Shelter, which is managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.