KIEV, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine on Monday has unveiled a feasibility study for a project to build a solar farm near the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The study, which was prepared by the international company Tractebel Engineering, was presented to the public by Ukrainian Ecology Minister Ostap Semerak during a press conference in Kiev.
While addressing the conference, Semerak said the study has concluded that the Chernobyl area is suitable for industrial using.
"This is the territory where renewable energy can develop. We have not only functional infrastructure there, but also experienced personnel, who have been working in the energy sector for decades," Semerak said.
The feasibility study has analyzed a number of important indicators needed for implementing the project, such as the distinctive features of the territory, the level of radioactive contamination and the rules of radiation safety, the minister said.
According to him, the study has recommended building a solar farm with a projected capacity of 1.2 GW.
"It is absolutely clear that this project is possible and is real. And we will do as much as we can within our authority to help the investors interested in participating in this project," Semerak said.
In 2016, Ukraine has unveiled its Chernobyl Solar project based on the 2,500 hectares of land 10 km south of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The nuclear power plant, located some 130 km from Kiev, witnessed one of the worst nuclear accidents in human history on April 26, 1986. The disaster has caused irreparable damage to the local environment and public health.
For decades, the 30-km-radius territory around the plant has been designated as an exclusion zone. Ordinary people have been prohibited from entering it.
As the toxic radiation levels in the area decreased, the Ukrainian government rolled out an initiative to turn the area into an industrial zone.
