A new 2MW solar power plant has begun operating on the site of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It will supply electricity to critically important facilities and strengthen the plant’s energy resilience.
This was reported by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal.
The new solar power plant will supply power, in particular, to the New Safe Confinement, radioactive waste management facilities, and spent nuclear fuel storage facilities.
According to Shmyhal, having its own generation will allow the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant to be more resilient and less dependent on external electricity supplies. This is also one of the necessary conditions for ensuring nuclear and radiation safety.
The total budget for the project to build the solar power plant on the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant site exceeded $825,000.
The project was implemented with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the governments of Lithuania and Japan. Lithuania provided 7,296 solar panels and 17 grid-tied inverters as part of humanitarian assistance. UNDP, with funding from Japan, provided additional equipment, installation and commissioning of the plant.
It is expected that each year the solar power plant will generate more than 2 million kWh of clean electricity. This will amount to about 5% of the annual consumption of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant industrial site.
Thanks to its own generation, the plant will be able to save about $365,000 a year. The savings are planned to be directed towards modernising, replacing and upgrading critically important equipment needed for the safe decommissioning of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
Overall, the installed capacity of solar power plants in Ukraine has already reached 7.6GW.
“Thank you to our international partners for supporting Ukraine. We highly value our joint work to strengthen Ukraine’s nuclear and energy security and that of the entire region,” Denys Shmyhal noted.
- In August, the German government allocated €50 million to restore the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which was damaged as a result of a strike by a Russian drone in February 2025.