At the time of the accident, two more reactors, nos. 5 and 6 were under construction. Reactor No. 5 was about 70% complete at the time of the accident and was scheduled to start operating on 7 November 1986. However, the works were halted on January 1st 1988 leaving most of the machinery behind. This happened as the constructors were waiting for better times for the Soviet Union to justify the construction. This was the first place we visited on our tour, and one of the most radioactive, with over 300 times the background radiation normally found. However, the acoustics were awesome, as were the birds of prey that were riding the thermals above the tower.
Return to Chernobyl Power Plant
