Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor May Be Restarted

Faced with ongoing energy shortages, Ukraine may restart one of the nuclear reactors at the Chernobyl power plant next year, an official said Thursday.

Two of the four nuclear reactors at Chernobyl have been shut down, and a third is to be turned off Nov. 30.

That move “undoubtedly will aggravate the energy situation” in Ukraine, Mikhail Bogdanov, head of public relations at the Chernobyl plant, told the Interfax news agency.

“When demand reaches peak levels, the frequency of the current in the energy networks falls to emergency levels,” he said.

Officials believe they need to keep at least two of the four reactors working to meet minimum energy requirements.

The No. 4 reactor was the site of the world’s worst nuclear power plant accident in 1986. In 1992, the No. 2 reactor caught fire and has been shut down since. The No. 1 reactor is to be taken off line in two weeks.

That has prompted the government to consider restarting the No. 2 reactor next year, Bogdanov said.

The West long has pressed Ukraine to shut down Chernobyl altogether, citing the risks of its aging Soviet reactors.