Russia-Ukraine war reignites concerns about nuclear power

When you hear the name Chernobyl, you may recall the accident that occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic  in 1986. 

The power plant consisted of four reactor stations, which were each capable of producing 100 megawatts of electricity. When the accident occurred, the plant’s emergency safety systems and regulating systems were turned off while the reactor was still running at low power. 

The result was an explosion that led to a large fireball blowing off the steel and concrete lid of the reactor. This series of events led to the release of large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere, which was then dispersed widely dispersed by air currents.

More recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has once again pushed people around the world to ponder the dangers of nuclear energy. Russian soldiers seized control of the Zaporizhzhya Ukrainian nuclear power plant. During the capture of the plant, shelling sparked fires near the reactors of the plant that lasted for hours, creating a safety hazard similar to the events that led to Chernobyl. Luckily, the fires were put out, and the safety systems and reactors did not experience any damage.

Following nuclear power plant accidents like Chernobyl and the Three Mile Island incident in Pennsylvania in 1979, it is no surprise that power plants in the United States have ceased operation. One example of this can be found in the state of Maine through the Maine Yankee power plant. This plant was in operation from 1972 to 1996 but was decommissioned in 1997 because of economic reasons, despite the plant being the state’s largest generator of electricity.

Safety is a primary concern when it comes to these nuclear power plants. Often, maintenance, repairs, and frequent inspections increase operation costs, making power plants economically unviable. Although nuclear power provides a low pollution energy source — specifically carbon-free electricity — there are grave safety concerns that outweigh its benefits and have many turning to fossil fuels and renewable energy sources.

~ Ryan Mark ’25