German media reported Friday evening, January 21, citing the text of the statement, that the German government, in a statement sent to the European Commission, categorically refused to recognize nuclear energy as “green”. “According to the federal government, nuclear energy is not compatible with the concept of sustainable development. Serious accidents that threaten humans and the environment cannot be ruled out. Nuclear energy is expensive, and the issue of nuclear waste disposal is also unregulated,” the document says.
At the same time, the German government agreed to recognize natural gas as an intermediate technology. “According to the federal government, gas used in state-of-the-art gas-fired power plants and its efficiency for a limited time — before moving to energy based on renewables — is an intermediate link that allows you to phase out coal quickly and thus achieve short-term reductions in emissions, CO2 and ensuring a rapid transition to renewable energy sources.
The deadline for submitting justifications to the European Commission expired at zero hours on January 22nd. Until the last moment, the German government was arguing about the admissibility of recognizing gas as an energy carrier compatible with the concept of sustainable development. Regarding the non-recognition of “green” nuclear energy, an agreement was reached in the Council of Ministers a long time ago.
EU energy plans
At the end of December, the European Commission sent a draft opinion stating that investments in the last generation of nuclear power plants could be recognized as being in line with the concept of sustainable development if there was an acceptable nuclear waste disposal scheme. Gas-fired power plants are also recognized as “green” for a limited time, subject to a number of conditions.
AFP notes that despite the negative attitude of the German government towards nuclear energy, it is unlikely that Germany will be able to prevent the European Commission from implementing its program, as only a few EU countries have openly opposed the recognition of nuclear and gas energy. Types of “green” energy. Austria and Luxembourg intend to file a lawsuit to prevent the inclusion of nuclear energy in the list of “green” investments.
Germany rejects nuclear power plants
In 2000, Germany decided to phase out nuclear power. At that time, 19 nuclear power plants were operating in the country. In 2011, under Chancellor Angela Merkel, it was decided to complete this process by the end of 2022. Now there are only three nuclear power plants left in Germany, and they must be shut down by December 31.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
exclusion zone
After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, it became necessary to control the areas that were subjected to the greatest radioactive contamination – these are the cities of Chernobyl and Pripyat. The 30-kilometer area around the station is closed to free access. Today, there is an institution for the management of the exclusion zone in Chernobyl, and up to 2,800 people of corporate employees who are building an arch for the ark also live there.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
Chernobyl nuclear power plant
In the 1970s, construction of the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine began in the Chernobyl region. Chernobyl is located 3 km from the city of Pripyat and 18 km from the city of Chernobyl. One-tenth of electricity was produced in the Ukrainian SSR. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was completely discontinued only at the end of 2000. Currently, work continues on the construction of a new insulating structure over the fourth power unit.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
Chernobyl – the administrative center of the exclusion zone
Before the accident, 12,5 thousand people lived in Chernobyl, all of whom were evacuated a few days after the tragedy. At the moment, the city is included in the 30-kilometer exclusion zone, being its administrative center. The employees of the companies located here live in abandoned apartment buildings. When crossing the boundary of the exclusion zone, all have to undergo dosimetric control.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
Arch – a new shelter for the ark
More than 600 thousand people participated in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident. Their main task was to build a concrete sarcophagus for the fourth power unit. Under the influence of external factors and radiation, the old shelter began to collapse, which is dangerous – about 200 tons of radioactive material are still stored there. The new arched structure should cover the sarcophagus and allow its partial dismantling to begin.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
“Samosely” in the exclusion zone
To date, the concentration of radionuclides in the exclusion zone is high, which does not allow to lift restrictions on living there. But shortly after the accident and the evacuation, the locals began to return to their homes under various pretexts. These people were called “settlers”. To date, there are about 180 of them in the area: 80 in Chernobyl and about 100 in villages located within a 30-kilometer zone.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
Grocery store twice a month
Mostly the “self-settlers” are elderly people. They now live in four villages in the 30-kilometer exclusion zone. Samosely grows vegetables and fruits, picks mushrooms from the forest, and drinks water from wells. Of the benefits of civilization, they only have electricity. A grocery truck comes loaded with bread and cereal twice a month, and once a month the postman delivers the pension.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
Pripyat – ghost town
The city of Pripyat is located on the banks of the river of the same name, 3 km from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It was he who was exposed to the greatest radioactive contamination. The population of the city of Pripyat amounted to 47.5 thousand, the day after the accident they were all evacuated. Even after decontamination work, the radiation level is very high, so the city is uninhabitable.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
Secret object “Duga-1”
Secret target “Duga-1” is a Soviet-era radar station designed to detect launches of ICBMs. “Duga-1” did not take full combat duty. The size of the structure of several antennas is 700 m in length and 150 m in height. After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the facility was frozen, and later its main elements were dismantled and moved.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
“Death bucket”
The so-called “Death Bucket” is one of the current attractions in Pripyat City. The bulldozer during the liquidation of the consequences of the accident was used directly in the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The radiation from the ladle (even at a distance of a few meters from it) exceeds the norm by ten thousand times. It is forbidden to touch it.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
Typical city of the Soviet era
Pripyat was built as a model town; During its construction, innovative architectural solutions of those years were used. At the time of the evacuation in 1986, Pripyat had 15 kindergartens, 5 schools, swimming pools, canteens, sports complexes, clinics, a cinema and a Palace of Culture. Now there is almost nothing left of the city: the roads are overgrown, in many buildings the internal partitions have collapsed.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
dead land
Pripyat was destined to become the most beautiful model city of Soviet Ukraine. But it went down in history as a monument to the world’s worst nuclear disaster. At the moment, in Pripyat there is only a private laundry, a water fluoridation plant, iron removal and a garage for special Chernobyl equipment. There is not a single person living in the city.
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Chernobyl 30 years after the tragedy
extreme tourist area
Every year, several thousand extreme tourists visit the exclusion zone. Before the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, citizens of Russia were at the forefront of foreign tourists. Today, most of the guests are from Poland, the Czech Republic and the USA.
Author: Anastasia Magazova
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