Around 1981, two new reactors were planned, the reactor number 5 and number 6. This photo refers to reactor number 5, which at the time of the Chernobyl accident was 70% completed. The works stopped on the day of the accident. The inside of the cooling tower is not exactly the safest place in Chernobyl. The radiation is not very high, but it is still above the average value of the areas close to the nuclear power plant. The deterioration is causing some of the inner coating to peel and fall off. The central area is full of moss and the moss retains radioactive dust. Walking over it is not recommended as dust can stick to the sole of your shoes. There are three Military security levels to enter Chernobyl, which correspond to 30km, 10km and 4km distance from the nuclear power plant, which are the same you have to go through if you want to leave the exclusion zone, with the only difference that when you want to go out, at each control zone, everyone has to go through machines that are measuring the level of radiation emanated. The first control is the mildest, while the second is more rigorous and sensitive to radiation. If it rings, the military will intervene by keeping you inside until you can get through the controls clean. This could mean that you either have to wash your shoes or get rid of them, or get rid of your clothes (not funny!) before being able to continue your journey to Kiev. The graffiti on the cooling tower is by Guido Van Helten for the thirtieth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, in honour of Igor Kostin's sacrifice in documenting the disaster.
Graffiti on the cooling tower is by Guido Van Helten for the thirtieth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, in honor of Igor Kostin's sacrifice in documenting the disaster.
Hasselblad X1D 21mm f/9.5 1/125s