Jun 27, 2026 · 2 min · 3 segments
The Chernobyl nuclear powerplant, in Ukraine, was designed and operated so badly, it was practically destined for disaster. First, the Soviet plant design was fatally flawed. It didn’t include a…
Scott TinkerHost
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was designed and operated so badly, it was practically destined for disaster.
It didn't include a containment vessel, the massive concrete structure that encloses other nuclear reactors.
Adding one, of course, would have been very expensive, but it would have contained the accident.
It occurred when unqualified engineers ran the reactor at very low power during a test, which made the reaction unstable.
To keep the test running, they pulled nearly all the safety control rods from the core.
The engineers panicked and dropped all the rods back in, which displaced coolant water and caused the reactor to overheat.
The coolant water then boiled to steam with such force that it blew the thousand-ton lid off the reactor.
In the explosion, 100 tons of nuclear fuel were scattered across the site or vaporized into the air as the reactor caught fire.
Nearby towns were evacuated and have been left abandoned since, as more than 100,000 people were displaced.
But what was a disaster for the region's human population would turn out to be a boon for its wildlife, something we'll discuss on another Earth Date.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was designed and operated so badly, it was practically destined for disaster.
It didn't include a containment vessel, the massive concrete structure that encloses other nuclear reactors.
Adding one, of course, would have been very expensive, but it would have contained the accident.
It occurred when unqualified engineers ran the reactor at very low power during a test, which made the reaction unstable.
To keep the test running, they pulled nearly all the safety control rods from the core.
The engineers panicked and dropped all the rods back in, which displaced coolant water and caused the reactor to overheat.
The coolant water then boiled to steam with such force that it blew the thousand-ton lid off the reactor.
In the explosion, 100 tons of nuclear fuel were scattered across the site or vaporized into the air as the reactor caught fire.
Nearby towns were evacuated and have been left abandoned since, as more than 100,000 people were displaced.
But what was a disaster for the region's human population would turn out to be a boon for its wildlife, something we'll discuss on another Earth Date.
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