40 years after Chernobyl

On April 26, 1986, a severe accident occurred in the fourth unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in present-day Ukraine (then the USSR). It was the first to be assigned the highest level of 7 on the International Nuclear Safety Inspection Scale (INES). The explosion resulted in a graphite fire, releasing radioactive substances to high altitudes of up to 10,000 meters.

Over 30 deaths are directly related to the nuclear disaster. Reports regarding deaths due to long-term effects of radiation exposure vary widely. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated and lost their homes and livelihoods. A 30-kilometer-radius exclusion zone was established and still exists today.

Austria was one of the worst-affected countries in Central Europe. The Chernobyl disaster left a deep mark on the public's consciousness. Many Austrians felt vindicated in their 1978 decision (the Zwentendorf referendum) against the use of nuclear energy for energy.

But it was only the events of 1989 and the perceived threat of nuclear power plants in Austria's immediate neighborhood that led to an active anti-nuclear policy. The social and party-political consensus was finally documented in 1999 by the unanimous decision of the National Council to elevate the Nuclear Ban Act to constitutional status as a federal constitutional law for a nuclear-free Austria.

Measures on the ground – International aid with Austrian participation

The damaged reactor block 4 was covered with thousands of tons of lead and sand immediately after the disaster. Subsequently, a provisional structure made of steel and concrete (known as the sarcophagus) was erected over it in order to prevent the further release of radioactive material. Since this protective shell was constructed in great haste, it was not designed for longer periods of time, and after a few years the roof threatened to collapse.

In 1995, a “Memorandum of Understanding on the Closure of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant” (MoU) was signed between the G7 states, the European Commission and Ukraine. The then Ukrainian President Kuchma pledged to shut down the Chernobyl nuclear power plant by the year 2000, which took place on 15 December 2000. In return, Western support in the energy sector and in the field of nuclear safety was promised, in particular for measures to bring the sarcophagus in Chernobyl into an environmentally safe condition.

In June 1997, a Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) was adopted at a G7 meeting. To finance it, the Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) was established at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The EBRD itself, the European Commission, and 44 states made financial contributions. The most important measures initially included the stabilization of the existing sarcophagus and subsequently the construction of a new protective structure, the “New Safe Confinement (NSC)”, which was officially handed over to Ukraine in July 2019. The protective structure encloses the destroyed reactor block and the old sarcophagus.

With the experience of its own impact, but also out of solidarity with Ukraine, Austria has actively participated in the Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) from the very beginning. With a contribution of 13 million euros to the total costs of approximately 2 billion euros, Austria is among the larger donors among the smaller non-G7 states.

The former Chernobyl nuclear power plant still has to be monitored after the 1986 disaster, even though all reactors have been permanently shut down and the spent fuel elements have been removed. A central interim storage facility for spent fuel elements is also located in Chernobyl.

Due to drought, forest fires repeatedly occur in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In such cases, it is possible that radioactivity originating from the 1986 reactor accident is released from the soil into the air. Austria would not be endangered by the released radioactivity. Most recently, larger forest fires occurred in the exclusion zone in 2020.

Russian War of Aggression – Chernobyl NPP

The former Chernobyl nuclear power plant was occupied by Russian troops on 24 February 2022. In connection with fighting near the former nuclear power plant, there were reports of elevated radiation levels. These were likely caused by dust stirred up by passing military vehicles. The elevated radiation levels had no impact beyond the existing exclusion zone.

At the end of March 2022, Russian forces withdrew from the exclusion zone, and it is once again under the control of the Ukrainian supervisory authority. The automatic monitoring network for radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone has been operational again since 5 May 2022.

Since then, there have been repeated hostilities at the site and in the vicinity of Chernobyl. On the night of 14 February 2025, the protective structure (“New Safe Confinement”) of the decommissioned Chernobyl NPP was struck by a drone and significantly damaged. The attack caused a fire. Repairing the damaged protective structure involves enormous costs.

Consequences of the Disaster – International Conventions and Efforts to Improve Nuclear Safety

Internationally, the Chernobyl disaster led to a series of conventions under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the UN. For the first time, this established a legally binding framework under international law, although participation was voluntary and there were no sanction mechanisms in case of non-compliance.

In the same year as the disaster, the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency were concluded. In 1989, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material was adopted, and in 1998 the Convention on Nuclear Safety. In 2001, the Convention on the Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste entered into force. Austria is a party to all of these conventions.

The Chernobyl disaster, as well as other recent events such as the Fukushima disaster, have led to significant efforts to improve nuclear safety—both in terms of the legal framework and within nuclear power plants themselves—though still not enough. The safest nuclear power plant, however, remains the one that is never built. Furthermore, severe accidents in nuclear power plants cannot be ruled out. Commemorative days should serve as a warning reminder of this.