The Chernobyl Disaster And Its Effects To The Construction Of Nuclear Plants

There have been many countries that had already phased out nuclear energy production altogether after the worst radiation leaks in history. But experts believe that another accident might kill the industry.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, some thirty years ago, led to an enormous leak of radiation across Eastern Europe. Since the accident many feared the additional construction of nuclear power plants.

The tragedy is believed to have caused thousand cases of cancer according to a news article on The World Post. Categorized by the International Atomic Energy Agency as a 'major accident', it was one of history's biggest tragedy/accident until the meltdowns in Fukushima, Japan in 2011. The data shows its impact: during the thirty-two years prior to Chernobyl, 409 reactors were actually opened, however only 194 of these have been connected within the 30 years since.

There were several other factors in play as well. Some of the change was directly down to the disaster that took place in Ukraine. Italy, for instance, had voted in a referendum after what happened in Ukraine to stop the production of nuclear energy.

John Large, a consultant nuclear engineer, believes that the regulations as well as the transparency demands, which were introduced in the wake of a 1979 meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, had actually had a much bigger impact as cited on The Guardian.  "Fukushima will have the same effect," Large said in a statement.

The disaster in Japan, as a matter of fact, pressed the German government to phase out its nuclear power plants, with the last one closing in 2022.  "Nuclear energy is failing because it is simply too expensive," said Dr Paul Dorfman.  Dr Paul Dorfman is a senior research fellow at the Energy Institute, University College London. "If there's another nuclear accident in the next five or 10 years, you can say goodbye to the industry," he added.