Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine, 9 September 2026 – A new 2 MW solar plant at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is now supplying clean electricity to support the facility’s ongoing work to manage its nuclear legacy. 

Installed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), using approximately US$825,000 in funding from the Government of Japan, this support builds on the Government of Lithuania’s 2024 donation of more than 7,000 photovoltaic modules and 17 inverters as humanitarian assistance for a project that had been identified as critical by Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy.

“Chornobyl reminds us that nuclear safety is a shared responsibility across borders and generations,” said Alexander De Croo, UNDP Administrator and United Nations Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chornobyl, speaking at a ceremony at the nuclear plant on 9 September to formally mark the completion of the solar plant.

“Across Ukraine, UNDP is advancing renewable energy to strengthen energy resilience and accelerate the green transition. This solar plant — our largest solar installation in Ukraine so far — brings that support to Chornobyl, a site where safe and reliable operations are critical for Ukraine and beyond.”

Yo Osumi, Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine, also speaking at the ceremony, emphasized that Japan’s contribution builds on decades of cooperation with Ukraine in addressing the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster and on the shared experiences of the Chornobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters.

“This solar project reflects the evolution of bilateral cooperation: from addressing the consequences of Chornobyl, through sharing the lessons of Fukushima, to safeguarding nuclear safety during the war while investing in a more resilient future. Let us take today’s achievement as a new starting point and continue working together for a safer, more sustainable, and more resilient energy future for Ukraine and the world,” said Ambassador Osumi.

“The ability to generate electricity by itself makes the Chornobyl NPP more resilient and less dependent on external power supplies, which is essential for nuclear and radiation safety,” said First Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. 

“Overall, Ukraine’s installed solar energy capacity has already reached 7.6 GW. This is a crucial component of our resilience. The plant will generate over 2 million kWh of clean electricity annually. This accounts for 5% of the plant’s annual consumption and will save around $365,000 a year. The saved funds will be directed toward modernising, replacing, and upgrading the critical equipment required for the safe decommissioning of the Chornobyl NPP. I am grateful to our international partners for supporting Ukraine. I deeply value our joint efforts to strengthen nuclear and energy security for both Ukraine and the entire region.”

Installing the equipment and integrating it into Chornobyl NPP’s electricity network required four months of technically demanding work by a 12-person team. The specialists installed the photovoltaic modules on 180 mounting structures supported by approximately 90 tonnes of steel, laid around 60 kilometres of cabling, and set up the grounding, electrical protection, and lightning protection systems needed to bring the new solar plant into operation.

Expected to generate more than 2 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, the facility will reduce energy costs by an estimated UAH 16 million a year, helping to meet the electricity needs of facilities that handle radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, as well as supporting the operation of the New Safe Confinement built over the Chornobyl plant’s destroyed Reactor 4.

Background

On 26 April 1986, an explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant caused one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters, spreading radioactive contamination across Ukraine and large parts of Europe. Today, the site’s work focuses on safe decommissioning, managing radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, and maintaining the New Safe Confinement over the destroyed reactor — long-term responsibilities that require sustained Ukrainian and international cooperation. Russia’s full-scale invasion has created additional risks, including the site’s occupation in 2022 and a drone strike in February 2025 that damaged the New Safe Confinement, leaving it in need of comprehensive repairs.

Media enquiries:

Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications and Advocacy, UNDP Ukraine; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org