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Construction of Chernobyl Power Plant begins
Development of Pripyat, the "atom town" around the plant whose residents will become the first Chernobyl employees
(chnpp.gov.ua.) -
Reactor 1 is up and running
Reactor 2 ready to operate within a year afterwards, built less stable than first one. -
Partial meltdown of Reactor 1
Up and running again within months. Public didn't know the full extent of the incident until 1985. -
Construction of Reactor 4
Day is celebrated by Soviets and the workers at the plant receive a bonus -
Assurance to the public in March
"The odds of a meltdown are one in 10,000 years. The plants have safe and reliable controls that are protected from any breakdown with three safety systems.”- Vitali Sklyarov, Minister of Power and Electrification of Ukraine -
Running a risky test
To test emergency conditions, plant is put on low power to run a previously unsuccessful test and without consulting safety professionals. Emergency cooling is turned off and reactors are still running 50% to be left overnight. (Willis, Carl) -
Explosion of Reactor 4
Concerning power fluctuations throughout the day, staff works corrective measures but the reactor is too unstable. (РАССЛЕДОВАНИЕ) -
Emergency measures
Pripyat is evacuated at midnight and during the day helicopters drop sand on the fire and the plant (Kostin, Igor) -
Clearing basement under reactor
Drained the gathering water and used liquid nitrogen to stabilize floor and cool reactor. Construction on an embankment for the Pripyat river begins -
Medical treatment
Govt. sends medical help to treat citizens for radioactive iodine after Chernobyl staff die of burns and radiation poisoning. Iodine can only be helped within 10 days of exposure so it was already in the citizens thyroid and couldn't be helped. -
Reactor 1 is restarted
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Reactor 1 is restarted
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Reactor 2 restarts
Construction on reactors 5 and 6 and sarcophagus is being built over the reactor 4 building -
Reactor 2 restarts
Construction of reactors 5 and 6 -
Hasty cement roof over Reactor 4
People were lowered into the building in special bathyscaphe radiation-proof tanks. (yaplakal.com) -
Reactor 3 restarts
Construction on 5 and 6 is halted and decided to not continue -
Fire in reactor 2 hall
Collapsed the roof and the reactor was shut down permanently. (Lucasky, Efrm) -
Reactor 1 is shut down
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Reactor 3 is shut down
Chernobyl is permanently shut down and produces no more power. -
Start of New Safe Confinement
A new larger structure to be placed over old collapsing building and sarcophagus -
Pripyat is opened to tourists
(Russel) -
New Safe Confinement pieces placed
The massive halves of the structure were built off-site and moved over the old sarcophagus (wikipedia) -
New safe completion date moved
Moved from December 2017 to December 2018 due to contractor mess ups -
Estimated New Safe Confinement Completion
Not looking so accurate
(Garanich, Gleb)
