# Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine, May16



## The Wombat (Jun 9, 2016)

*Chernobyl… 

Where do I start! 

Had an awesome action packed beer drenched week-long trip in the zone. I took 1400 photos, and saw some amazing sites in Pripyat.

I’m going to start with Chernobyl Nuclear power plant, as it is a once in a lifetime site. It is my first nuclear power plant (!) and although originally sceptical about radiation levels, the dose I received in my 3 hour visit should be acceptable. Our tour guide had worked at the plant for 26 years!

There was, understandably, a vast amount of security and ID checks to enter the plant. Although the station is long decommissioned, there is still plenty of activity around here, and will be for the foreseeable future. We had a comprehensive briefing on the disaster before entry, then some security and were led to the new sarcophagus construction yard. Some more security & lengthy ID checks, dressed up in all lab coats, foot covers & hat, more security, then inside the nuclear power plant. An exceptionally long corridor linked the 4 reactors. Control rooms for each nuclear reactor on the left, and turbine halls on the right. Nuclear Reactor 2 control room was a real highlight. I have never seen so many buttons & dials. Radiation was surprisingly low here. Then on to the wall beside the reactor 4, which had the accident. The giger counter went bonkers. Moving swiftly on to Nuclear reactor 3 turbine hall, which was very impressive. Finally more security, and radiation checks, and the monument outside. An outstanding visit.

I’ve got loads of photos of Pripyat, and the partially built reactor cooling tower for reactor 5, which was never finishsed. All to follow.

Explored with the excellent company of Stig, Auntieknickers, The Lone Ranger & two non members.*

_History

The history is well documented on the net. In summary:

The Chernobyl disaster happened on 26 April 1986, in Ukraine, former USSR.

An explosion & fire released large quantiies of radioactive particles into the atmosphere over current day Ukraine & Belarus. It was the worst nuclear disaster in history. It is one of only two level 7 events (the other being Fukushima in 2011. To contain the contamination cost a lot money and a lot of lives. The other 3 nuclear reactors were restarted the same year, and were not decommissioned for some years later._







*The new sarcophagus*















*Lets go inside.....*






the 800M long golden corridor
Control rooms for each of the 4 reactors on the left. Turbine halls on the right











*REACTOR 2 CONTROL ROOM*




















Sooo many buttons and dials










This is the wall next to exploded reactor 4





*REACTOR 3 TURBINE HALL*

























The power plant





Lab coats & tripods





Radiaton check
















Monument





This is a model of exploded reactor no 4





And this explains how the will move the new sarcophagus into position (best explained in the pictures!)



Thanks for looking


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## krela (Jun 9, 2016)

Great stuff mate, glad you had a good time!


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## The Wombat (Jun 9, 2016)

krela said:


> Great stuff mate, glad you had a good time!



Cheers Krela 
Was an awesome trip; very worth it.
More photos to follow...


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## krela (Jun 9, 2016)

I look forward to them.


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## Mikeymutt (Jun 9, 2016)

What a fantastic report wombat.that control room really is something else.I really hope I get here next year.


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## tazong (Jun 10, 2016)

Thats was a fantastic write up fella and wow - i suppose its the mecca of urban exploration.
I have to ask - how much danger do you put yourself in when you visit a place like this - you here things like the place will be uninhabital for 300 years.
I know only a few years ago restrictions on farm animals in this country were lifted as its was deemed safe to eat again although checks are still made.
If you have that kind of thing happening here - it reall makes me wonder how dangerous it is being right in the eye of the storm?


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## Mikeymutt (Jun 10, 2016)

tazong said:


> Thats was a fantastic write up fella and wow - i suppose its the mecca of urban exploration.
> I have to ask - how much danger do you put yourself in when you visit a place like this - you here things like the place will be uninhabital for 300 years.
> I know only a few years ago restrictions on farm animals in this country were lifted as its was deemed safe to eat again although checks are still made.
> If you have that kind of thing happening here - it reall makes me wonder how dangerous it is being right in the eye of the storm?


They say there is sometimes more radiation in London in places than at pripyat


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## The Wombat (Jun 10, 2016)

Mikeymutt said:


> What a fantastic report wombat.that control room really is something else.I really hope I get here next year.



Thanks Mikey 
The control room really was amazing

Definitely worth the trip over


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## The Wombat (Jun 10, 2016)

tazong said:


> Thats was a fantastic write up fella and wow - i suppose its the mecca of urban exploration.
> I have to ask - how much danger do you put yourself in when you visit a place like this - you here things like the place will be uninhabital for 300 years.
> I know only a few years ago restrictions on farm animals in this country were lifted as its was deemed safe to eat again although checks are still made.
> If you have that kind of thing happening here - it reall makes me wonder how dangerous it is being right in the eye of the storm?



Thanks mate 
Appreciate it



Mikeymutt said:


> They say there is sometimes more radiation in London in places than at pripyat



Mikey is right; inside the concrete buildings, radiation was surprisingly at background levels, 0.15 similar to the UK. 

That said, I had a giger counter with me some of the time, and you get used to where hot spots might be, and avoid them. Outside the kindergarten the vegetation spiked the radiation levels. Moss in particular holds radiation.
The most notable hot spot was driving through the 'red forest' near the power plant, where even winding up the windows whilst passing through, the giger counter went bonkers for 2 minutes, (levels around 12-26) before returning to normal as we approached Pripyat. 
Inside the NPP; the control room was fine, but the wall next to the exploded reactor 4 - the giger counter was not happy. 
The highest reading I saw was nearly 80, a hot spot near unfinished Reactor 5.
I would say 98% of my time was perfectly safe


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## flyboys90 (Jun 10, 2016)

That looked like a cracking trip and images to match,like everyone says the control panel room is f---ing awesome.Thanks for sharing your trip with us.


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## smiler (Jun 10, 2016)

Excellent report and interesting pics, Many Thanks


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## uklimey1234 (Jun 10, 2016)

The Wombat said:


> Thanks mate
> Appreciate it
> 
> 
> ...



As an ex UK radiation worker (Dungeness 'B' power station) I can say the risk is less immediate radiation than ingesting contaminated matter. In the UK its forbidden to eat anything inside the barrier. Your skin is enough to stop most of the harmful radiation but once inside your body it can wreak havoc. The forest and farmland around Chernobyl not only collects the contamination but as it passes up the food chain the stuff gets concentrated. Herbivores do reasonably well even in heavily contaminated areas but carnivores suffer more as the prey animals accumulate contaminants as they eat the vegetation. Attempts to resettle Bikini Atoll failed because anything that grew there became dangerously contaminated even though a geiger counter showed relatively low radiation dosage rates.


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## Sam Haltin (Jun 10, 2016)

Looks like an awesome trip. I was surprised that you could get so close to the damaged reactor, but as you said next to the wall your radiation meter was going haywire, so not quite safe yet.


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## Scaramanger (Jun 10, 2016)

Good stuff. I have toured dunge b which is free to do but unfortnately no recording equipment is allowed.,


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## The Wombat (Jun 11, 2016)

flyboys90 said:


> That looked like a cracking trip and images to match,like everyone says the control panel room is f---ing awesome.Thanks for sharing your trip with us.



Cheers Flyboys 
Yes Reactor 2 control room certainly was f***ing awesome!
More reports to follow of the derelict buildings; when I've filtered through 1400 photos!


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## King Al (Jun 17, 2016)

Absolutely superb report and great pics Wombat!


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## HughieD (Jun 17, 2016)

Fantastic stuff. All looks a bit of a surreal place. Thank you for sharing...


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## peanuts (Jun 18, 2016)

Mikeymutt said:


> They say there is sometimes more radiation in London in places than at pripyat


especialy for Russian dissidents cups of tea !


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