Construction of the station began in 1970, the first unit was launched in 1977. The nuclear power plant is located at a distance of 2 km from the city of Prypyat, built primarily for its employees. The name is associated with the city of Chernobyl, then the district center of this area. As of the beginning of 1986, Chernobyl was the most powerful nuclear power plant in the European part of the USSR. On April 26, 1986, during a design test, an accident occurred that completely destroyed the station's fourth reactor and caused significant contamination of the surrounding area with radioactive substances. As a result of this catastrophe, the population of Prypyat, Chornobyl and all other settlements within a radius of 30 km around the station was completely evacuated. Today the accident itself is one of the largest man-made disasters in human history.