Ukrainian experts say nuclear process at Chernobyl NPP under control

The possibility of a disaster was minimal, Ukraine’s State Scientific and Technical Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety reported Thursday.

According to the experts of the centre, the New Safe Confinement (NSC) recently built atop the unit four reactor halls was equipped with a modern system of continuous monitoring, with the limits of safe operation set for each sensor.

An increase in the activity of neutron fluxes in a separate area was recorded under the NSC.

Meanwhile, this process was very slow and under control, according to the report.

“The NSC is a complex object; it is a series of physical processes; so the situation should be assessed comprehensively, taking into account all available aspects.

“First of all, it should be understood that all processes under the NSC take place in a subcritical, safe manner,’’ it said.

The Chernobyl NPP, some 110 kilometres north of Kiev, witnessed one of the worst nuclear accidents in human history on April 26, 1986.

After the disaster, a large tract of land around the plant was designated as a forbidden zone and ordinary people were completely prohibited from entering it for decades.

Considering the decreased in radiation levels, the 30-square-kilometre area around the plant was officially opened to tourists in 2010.

Although some areas are still highly polluted with radiation.