A Famous Closure for a New Nuclear Millennium

The best-known nuclear power station in Ukraine was Chernobyl. Unit 4 was destroyed in the accident of 1986, and Unit 2 was shut down after a fire in the turbine hall occurred in 1991. Following international pressure, Ukraine shut down Units 1 and 3 in 1997 and 2000, respectively.

  • Net Capacity: 5,700 megawatts
  • Location: Energodar, South Ukraine
  • Number of Reactors: 6
  • Output (2010): 39,061.104 gigawatt-hours

About one-half of Ukraine's electricity comes from its 15 nuclear reactors [source: World Nuclear Association]. It's second only to France in the amount of electricity it generates from nuclear power. When Unit 6 was connected to the grid in 1995, Zaporozhe became the largest nuclear power station in Europe. The Zaporozhe power plant generates a whopping 47 percent of the Ukraine's nuclear power, supplying 22 percent of the total energy for that country [source: IAEA PRIS]. The power plant produced enough energy in 2010 to meet New York City's electricity needs for three years [source: Solar One].

Most of the reactors at Zaporozhe are likely to remain operational until 2030-2034, which means the power station should be a major contributor to Ukraine's nuclear power needs for decades. Within that time, Ukraine plans to double its existing nuclear power capacity by building 15 new reactors with a combined net capacity of 14,000 megawatts, emphasizing the country's commitment to nuclear power [source: World Nuclear Association].

The next two reactors on the list provide close to 80 percent of the nuclear power for a country that is only just beginning its love affair with nuclear energy.