[The Editors' Verdict]35 Years After Chernobyl, Eastern Europe Turns to Nuclear Power

The push to expand nuclear power in Eastern European countries is remarkable. At the 2021 Korea Nuclear Energy Annual Conference held in Gyeongju on the 11th, Michal Wierzbowski, Deputy Director of the Special Ministerial Office for Energy Infrastructure in Poland, introduced Poland’s Energy Policy 2040, which aims to select contractors next year to build six new nuclear reactors with a capacity of 6 to 9 GW. Neighboring Czech Republic plans to order two new nuclear reactors within this year. To secure the necessary funding for construction, the Czech Republic is pressuring the European Union, arguing that it cannot meet Europe’s climate change goals without nuclear power. That is not all. Including the reactors planned by Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, more than 20 nuclear reactors are expected to be ordered in Eastern Europe during the 2020s. Eastern Europe was the region most severely affected by the Chernobyl accident 35 years ago. Ironically, a nuclear power boom is now sweeping through this region.

Chernobyl Unit 4, located near the border of Belarus and Ukraine, lost control during a reckless test of electricity supply using turbine inertia when the plant was shut down in April 1986, 35 years ago. The reactor collapsed, releasing radioactive materials more than ten times that of the Fukushima accident, sweeping across Europe. Moreover, unlike typical nuclear plants, Chernobyl lacked a containment building, which exacerbated the impact of the accident. Twenty-eight people, including firefighters involved in the accident response, died from radiation exposure. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), which investigated the radiation effects after the accident, concluded that although 15 additional deaths from cancer were caused by radiation, there was no significant impact on public health. At the Chernobyl Forum held on the 20th anniversary of the accident, the UN reported that among approximately 600,000 people exposed to radiation, about 4,000 deaths from cancer were estimated.

Belarus, in particular, suffered enormous effects in Eastern Europe. The radiation from the Chernobyl accident spread toward Belarus by wind, contaminating 25% of its territory. However, Belarus completed its first nuclear power plant last year and will open a second one next year. Ukraine, where the Chernobyl plant is located, is also considering two new nuclear reactors. Eastern European countries are not expanding nuclear power because they have forgotten the Chernobyl accident. Poland’s coal dependency is as high as 74%. Although wind power is their main renewable energy source, it is far from sufficient to achieve carbon neutrality. The Czech Republic also relies on coal-fired power for over 60% of its energy. Other countries are no different. These countries pursue nuclear power to support their economies while responding to climate change. There is also an intention to reduce dependence on Russian gas. The reality they face goes beyond irony.

Most nuclear power plants in the Eastern Bloc are Russian, but according to recent foreign reports, the Czech Republic has excluded Russia from the list of suppliers for new nuclear reactors. This is a background where Korean nuclear power plants can seize opportunities in Eastern Europe.

Thirty-five years later, radiation in the Chernobyl area has decreased to the extent that, except for some zones, the Chernobyl plant has become a tourist attraction. National Geographic, a nature exploration magazine, surveyed Chernobyl’s nature in 2016 on the 30th anniversary of the accident and showed the ecosystem’s remarkable resilience. Nevertheless, the trauma caused by the Chernobyl accident remains deeply embedded worldwide. Pro-nuclear advocates must not forget the Chernobyl accident to prevent nuclear tragedies from happening again, but anti-nuclear advocates should not be trapped solely in the memory of Chernobyl. Eastern European countries have reasons for choosing nuclear power. Anti-nuclear positions alone cannot prevent the climate disaster we face.

Jung Dong-wook, Professor, Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Chung-Ang University