Cooling Pond Bridge

Cooling Pond Bridge

This bridge is a a part of the same railroad network. This time it’s crossing the cooling pond. On the side I am on are units 1, 2, 3, 4. Other side of the bridge has incomplete units 5 and 6. The heating plant is to the left.

Power Station

Power Station

According to Ukrainian laws, this shot is illegal. For unknown to me reason, authorities are really uptight about it. No pictures are allowed of this side of the powerplant. You can clearly see the turbine hall, tops of units 1 and 2, plus sarcophagus covering Unit 4 and it’s neighboring Unit 3. Checking the web, I never found a photo of NPP from this angle.

Units 5 and 6 under construction

Units 5 and 6

Units 5 and 6 under construction. Total number of reactors planned at Chernobyl was 12 making it world’s largest nuclear power station.

I was told by tourguide that it’s sometimes possible to go to these buildings, even enter them, if group was smaller and we had a smaller car. He said that army patrols can kick us out and confiscate cameras if we were caught.

Storage Facility

Storage Facility

Spent fuel facility. There was some issues with a construction, and while I don’t know details, the facility is not ready to accept fuel and few things have to be rebuilt.

Chernobyl NPP

Chernobyl NPP

In the distance, the Chernobyl NPP. There will be better picture, but at the time, seeing it there in a distance gave me a weird eerie feeling.

Evaporation Tower

Evaporation Tower

With units 5 and 6 nearing completion, and cooling pond already being warmer than engineers wanted it to be, these towers must be built to cool the core. Work stopped after the accident and this is what remains, the incomplete tower. If you take a closer look to the right of the tower, the flat line is the top of the 2nd tower which was under construction as well.

Rail Bridge

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This bridge is a part of rail network at the powerplant area. This network was used to deliver construction materials to Units 5 and 6, and nuclear fuel to Units 1, 2, 3, 4.

Another reading

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Reading a bit closer to the power station. 6.5 times the normal.

Electrical Wiring

Electrical Wiring

Electrical wires leading to the power station. You can see the famous outline in the distance

Got (Radioactive) Wood?

Got Wood

About 7 kilometers from the power station, and we see.. this? Someone in our group jokingly said that this will be used for Glow in the Dark furniture.