Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant CIA Files - Paperless Archives

~. \vi(it r~Jl:hin~ilrihr"Sd\p.~f~;kTh~?~\~:~lrl~~i~: i: '~i~~~\~·hliJ. ~he so\,ieis ~~~)t~k,.~ ;b:.~donci
~. c:1(l.'\citY in -anls; on is'Aprii -:"'
; ;.Chcrnohyl'.-pl:lOt uanin~jiliCiI tCsI ror:thc:man:lge:. 1987. Factors insioppin~;cQri5Iruction' r,ca"bably .in"' f" i
'~. {m~nlot It.en~dear ind.ustf>,:-:p[oOr ~h~i;Au~lcar,\' - elude highradia~ion';I~ ~h"~~i~e:- rfsin'g con~tj-ticii/)n'
\ ~; power is rc1iabl(and thaI So\ict m:inagementis . costs, and possiblfdinicultiCs hi recruiting skilled
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i i~~~tfE~;~~;~:l~~f~~;4~~t1}~;'}:~S~tl~1},;t~ ';~Iabortoc finjsh ~h~ project" "':_ y~-> f ~ " ..
The Sovicts restariCd chcrnobyi' ~r:il (in l~icSep." - Short-Term Econoinlc Costs
. tembcrand ~nit 2 in ~o\'cmbei, tliei-chy missing their The immediate cronomic testS or the a~cidc~t .-
- c~rlY opiirriistic ,oiil:'Adc:qtiatelydecoritaiitinating' include: -- , ,
. thc site to rcsume operaiions IcsteCl SO\'ict ingenuit)' :, ,,"
· alld resources (sec insctoiipa'gc 6~ A major realloca- '. The opportunity CostS ~r using additionai fuel oil in
; tion or managers and technicians was needed. to solvc plants replacing electricity from Chernobyl' instead
· problems such as'thccntombment of thc destroyed - of selling the fuel oil for hard currency.
· rc:tctor and decontamination of the highly radioactivc
" turbogener;;tor hall, which houses thc turbines of;'11
four of the plant's units C _:1 Part of the price
for this success was a slowdown in the construction of
at least three reactors at other power plants due for
startup in 1986. Intermittcnt operation or Chcrnobyl'
units I aDd 2 through mid-December suggestcd that
problems remained. '
The Catc oC Chernobyl' unit 3 is still uncertain.
Although entombment of unit 4 is now complete, the
recovery or unit 3 will drag on for somc time,_ ... _. ~
eSpeCially ifCritieal elcCtrical and ventilation assemblies
were damaeed in the fires rollo\\;ng the accident
or if radiation contamination is too cxtensh'c for rapid
cleanup. If the reactor of unit 3 is not fully recovered,
Moscow will have to reassess the "shared facilities"
design at RBMK rc:tctors_ Three nuclear power
plants now use this type of design and one other such
plant is at an carly stagc of construction.'
'Sbortty arlCr the Aprit accid~III, pbns \\"ere announ«d 10 res!>"
Chernoby!' •• ils t and 1 in Juroc. Durine Aucust Ihe d..,dline ror
.051." ns shifled 10 Oclober :os Ihe S",icu became morc COlI'
CCfncd .boul radilliOClupooUfCS 0' opcratioas slaIT, ' .
• I. o.der 10 &aYe on planl in'-CSlmenl alld oimplir)' dcsilM-. lhe
Soncu COIISINct RBMK pI.nlS 10 .ha.e racilili05 fo. fUllctio.s
ouch as ratl •• haU •• nln.tion or "~I" Ucalmenl. Ahhou,h
desi,ns ror W05I •• n nuclear power rt.nu...., oimil .. I",i