Electronic Telegraph: Sunday 28 November 1999

Chernobyl restarted to 'make West pay for blast' By Philip Jacobson

UKRAINE has restarted an ageing reactor at Chernobyl, the scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster, in a move seen by the West as an attempt to blackmail it into paying the costs of closing the entire complex.

The No 3 reactor is expected to be up to full capacity of 1,000 megawatts by tonight, raising fears of a possible repetition of the explosion in the No 4 reactor in April, 1986, which killed 31 people instantly, affected thousands more over the ensuing years and sent clouds of radioactive dust over the whole country as well as Belarus, Russia and many west European countries, including Britain.

Two other reactors at Chernobyl have since been decommissioned, one as the result of a serious fire, while the No 3 unit has been plagued with problems. Out of action since last July, it was found during one inspection to have more than 300 cracks in pipes that carry radioactive material.

Chernobyl's senior engineer, Alexander Yelchishchev, said the onset of cold weather had forced the Ukrainian government's decision to restart the reactor as fuel was lacking to keep its water pipes unfrozen. In a 1995 accord with the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations it had agreed that the plant should cease operations by the end of this year. Keeping the plant running for several months into next year will also increase the risk of damaging the adjacent vast concrete, lead and steel "sarcophagus" that encases the radioactive wreckage of No 4 reactor.

The French and German nuclear safety bodies are agreed that Chernobyl's management is probably incapable of dealing with "the consequence that would result from a rupturing of piping". In March this year, a Ukranian scientist described safety standards at the plant as "hopelessly behind" those of the West while its former general manager, Sergei Parashin, criticised the present management as "lacking in experience and incapable of guaranteeing the safety of nuclear power stations".

Last month, a senior CIA scientific officer echoed those fears in testimony to a House of Representatives committee examining the possible impact of the Millennium bug on nuclear installations. Lawrence Gershwin expressed particular concern about possible computer failures at ageing Soviet-designed installations such as Chernobyl.

The Ukrainian government, which denies that the reactor is dangerous, argues that until a deal can be clinched for the West to provide about #1 billion for two new gas-fired nuclear installations elsewhere to replace the power lost by shutting down Chernobyl completely, it cannot be expected to shut down a plant still capable of producing power. An admission by a high-ranking Ukraine government official that it would be prohibitively expensive to keep Chernobyl operating much after the year 2000 increased suspicion among the G7 nations that Ukraine wants the West to foot the bill for closing the plant.

According to Greenpeace, demand for power in Ukraine is far below what is already available. The environmentalists point out that the No 3 reactor has been shut down for the past two winters.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), November 28, 1999