THE CAUSE: Prevention

Prevention
It is imperative to prevent another accident like the one in Chernobyl. The key is to study what happened and to scrutinize the accident. The Soviets have developed the following program of prevention:

recognition of the significance of their operations

setting up of a better information board in the control room

improved operator preparation

improved procedures for making it more difficult to disable safety systems.

making the violation of procedures a criminal offense

mechanically prevented control rods from being withdrawn too far in the RBMK reactors

making plants required to have more control rods inserted

making plants automatically shut down if operator pulls out too many control rods

changing the composition of fuel to increase effectiveness of emergency shutdown

This lesson in prevention has been passed on to the world as it was developed because of the fatal consequences of running nuclear power plants improperly and of a poor attitude toward the dangers of the atom. "Environmental groups want these plants replaced with clean alternatives like wind and solar power; and with increased efficiency technologies..., but it would also deprive the nuclear industry of its most immediate market to stay solvent."

Debate and the major disaster have caused one nuclear station to be abandoned in the Ukraine. Work has also stopped at two others, and three others have been criticized. The RBMK does not offer the guaranteed safety that researchers are looking for because the people have lost faith in the reliability and safety of the Soviet-made reactors.