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Chernobyl nuclear power plant

Nuclear power plant in Kyiv, Ukraine. Approximate location 51.3893, 30.1066.

NuclearKyivUkraineRBMKlight water graphite reactor

Chernobyl nuclear power plant is a 5,800 MW nuclear power station in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is operated by SE NNEGC "Energoatom" [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 13 million homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 98 Ukraine power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1978, it is around 48 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 55.8% of Ukraine's electricity; the national grid averages 250 gCO₂/kWh (72.2% low-carbon) (2022).

5,800MW installed capacity
7construction time (1970→1977)
13,064,914homes powered (est.)
1978commissioned (~48 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_nuc_chernobyl_ukrai.

Data status

Known data

FacilityChernobyl nuclear power plant GEM-nuclear
CountryUkraine · Kyiv GEM-nuclear
Coordinates51.3893, 30.1066 GEM-nuclear
FuelNuclear GEM-nuclear
MW installed capacity5,800 MW GEM GNPT; source record
OwnerSE NNEGC "Energoatom" [100%] GEM-nuclear
Commissioned1978 GEM-nuclear
Technologylight water graphite reactor GEM-nuclear

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2 / 98 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 / 9 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.93× · 3,000 MW · n=9 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent13,064,914 calculated
Environmental severityC2 · 28/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GNPT; fuel: GEM GNPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 5,800 MW, Chernobyl nuclear power plant is well above the median nuclear plant in Ukraine (3,000 MW). Technically it is described as light water graphite reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in Ukraine

Zaporozhye: 6,000 MW6kZaporozhyeChernobyl nuclear power plant: 5,800 MW6kChernobyl …Chyhyryn nuclear power plant: 4,000 MW4kChyhyryn n…Crimean nuclear power plant: 3,800 MW4kCrimean nu…South Ukraine: 3,000 MW3kSouth Ukra…Rivne (Rouno): 2,835 MW3kRivne (Rou…Khmelnytska: 2,000 MW2kKhmelnytskaKharkiv nuclear power plant: 2,000 MW2kKharkiv nu…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by SE NNEGC "Energoatom" [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~6°Ctypical annual mean
~19°Ctypical warm-season mean
Warm-summer humid continental: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
25.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
522 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest nuclear power plant of 9 in Ukraine by capacity.

Ukraine has 9 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 31,435 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 51.3893, 30.1066 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Chernobyl nuclear power plant?

Chernobyl nuclear power plant is a 5,800 MW nuclear power plant in Kyiv, Ukraine, commissioned in 1978.

How many homes can Chernobyl nuclear power plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 13,064,914 homes (estimated).

Who operates Chernobyl nuclear power plant?

Chernobyl nuclear power plant is operated by SE NNEGC "Energoatom" [100%].

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