Spotlight: Ukraine moves to revive Chernobyl area as major solar farm

The Ukrainian government this week officially opened the bidding for building a solar farm in the devastated area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, making a major step towards resurrecting the exclusion zone.

According to the government's plans, the solar farm with a capacity of between 1 GW and 1.2 GW is expected to generate up to 1,500 GWh of electricity per year, becoming one of Europe's largest renewable energy producers.

Although the project has initially triggered speculations that it might be unsafe to build the industrial facility at the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in human history, the latest radiation tests showed that Chernobyl is now not as dangerous as widely perceived.

ECOLOGICAL SITUATION IMPROVES

The tests carried out this year in the 30-km zone surrounding the nuclear reactor, which melted down in 1986, showed that the radiation level in certain areas stands at only 0.12 microsieverts per hour, more than twice lower than the boundary radiation level of 0.25 microsieverts per hour.

As the ecological situation improved, the Chernobyl zone, which has been a closed area for decades, has become a tourist destination, with an estimated 15,000 people visiting it in 2015.

In August this year, the Ukrainian government has officially allowed to use the land in the area for commercial purposes, indicating that it is safe for industrial needs.

Last month, Ukraine erected a new protective cover over the destroyed No. 4 reactor, which would prevent the leakage of the radiation from the unit during the next century.

"It is a very significant stage of a comprehensive program to make Chernobyl an environmentally safe system," said Ukrainian Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Ostap Semerak.

Local ecologists also pointed out that the radiation level in the Chernobyl zone is gradually returning to normal.

"Over the past 30 years, the environmental situation has substantially improved and radiation levels have decreased. Although the exclusion zone is still unsuitable for human habitation, it is suitable for industrial needs," Denis Vishnevsky, head of Ecocenter, an ecological group for radiation monitoring in Chernobyl area, told Xinhua.

PROMISING GREEN ENERGY PROJECT

Some territories in the exclusion zone are still hazardous, but safety standards prohibit people from working in those places, Vishnevsky said.

He added that currently about 6,000 people are working in Chernobyl area and their health is out of the threat as they follow the relevant safety instructions.

"There are special regulations, which prescribe the work loading levels, the working time and the working areas to eliminate health risks," he said.

The expert noted that in terms of ecology, building a solar farm is one of the best options to turn the Chernobyl zone into an industrial facility as it will not affect the environment.

"Construction of the solar power plant is absolutely safe because it will not lead to the recovery of contaminated dust and will not increase the background radiation. The energy produced at the solar plant also will be safe for consumers," Vishnevsky said.

From the economic point of view, the project also looks promising: the power transmission infrastructure that was previously used at the Chernobyl power plant is still functioning; the land in the area is comparably cheap; and there is enough sunshine to produce electricity.

It is also noteworthy that the Chernobyl zone is located only 110 km from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev with a population of about 3 million people, who can become potential consumers for the electricity.

CHINESE COMPANIES' PARTICIPATION

Given its competitive advantages, the Chernobyl Solar Farm project has already attracted the interest of about 40 companies from around the world.

In particular, Ukraine is in talks with a tandem of two Chinese companies, China National Complete Engineering Corporation (CCEC) and Golden Concord Holdings Limited (GCL), over their participation in the project.

The construction of the farm, which is due to start next year, could see the CCEC as a master builder and GCL as a provider and installer of solar components.

According to local analysts, cooperation with Chinese companies would be a great opportunity for the Ukrainian government to develop the Chernobyl zone given China's vast achievements in energy efficiency.

"Today China is a world leader in renewable energy. While five years ago this country was focused on generating energy from coal, now it is a major producer of solar and wind energy. And China is interested in entering the Ukrainian market," said Vyacheslav Potapenko, director of the Kiev-based Institute of Green Economy.

For Chinese companies, the project could also become a good investment opportunity. With a total required investment of 1 billion U.S. dollars, the Chernobyl solar farm is expected to bring returns of at least 125 million dollars annually.

However, the project is moving beyond just profit interests. Chinese investors perceive it as a tool to boost European energy efficiency, to put Ukraine on track for the development of renewable energy, and to help people living near the exclusion zone recover from the Chernobyl catastrophe.

"We will try to restore this area, which once has suffered from the disaster, using green renewable energy. This will bring significant social and economic benefits," said Shu Hua, chairman of the GCL. Endi