The city of Chyhyryn is preparing to build a modern nuclear power plant. This was reported by Komersant ukrainskyi
with reference to the Telegram channel of “Energoatom’s Telegram channel.
The energy company explains that
ukraine’s energy strategy for the period up to 2050 provides for an increase in the capacity of domestic nuclear generation. Therefore, the Energoatom team is actively working to find new construction sites.
The most promising of them is Chyhyryn, near the town of Orbita in Cherkasy region. Four new power units based on AP1000 technology are planned to be built there.
“Energoatom intends to revive Orbita, making it one of the most modern towns like Netishyn, Yuzhnoukrainsk or Varash,” Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin told .
Chyhyryn NPP: details
The project of a nuclear power plant near Chyhyryn with the Orbita satellite town was considered back in the Soviet times.
In 1970, the construction of a combined-cycle power plant began, which was later decided to be replaced by the Chyhyryn NPP and a town of power engineers for 20,000 people next to it. It was planned that the new city of power engineers would have a palace of culture, schools, kindergartens, a cinema, a hospital, and even a city beach.
However, in 1989, work on the Chyhyrynska power plant project was halted. The reason was the Chernobyl accident. Since then, Orbita has been in decline.
In the 2000s, the only heating main in the town stopped heating houses.
As of 2024, most of the buildings in the town are in disrepair. Only a few houses have gas supply and one shop is open. The population is about 160 residents.
on 5 August 2005, the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine I. Plachkov officially announced the possibility of resuming construction of the Chyhyryn NPP. However, no resumption of construction took place. Until 2011, the boiler room and the surrounding area were guarded by Cherkasyoblenergo, but in 2011 the guard was removed, and all the boiler room premises turned into mountains of concrete, with only the boiler room pipe remaining intact.
Currently, Energoatom wants to decommission the construction and build 4 power units. The Chyhyryn City Council has already decided to transfer 38.15 hectares for the construction of the nuclear power plant.
