Nuclear Power Plant

Thermal power station where the heat source is a nuclear reactor

Disasters & AccidentsScience & Technology

Nuclear Power Plant — Image via Wikimedia Commons or Wikipedia.

Overview

What happened

On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, suffered a catastrophic accident during a safe...

Date

April 26, 1986

Key people

Anatoli Dyatlov

Why it matters

This article provides a detailed and nuanced account of the Chernobyl disaster, including the events leading up to the accident, the immediate aftermath, and the long-term consequenc...

What was Nuclear Power Plant?

A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces electricity. As of October 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that there were 416 nuclear power reactors in operation in 31 countries around the world, and 62 nuclear power reactors under construction. Most nuclear power plants use thermal reactors with enriched uranium in a once-through fuel cycle.

Background and consequences

Fuel is removed when the percentage of neutron absorbing atoms becomes so large that a chain reaction can no longer be sustained, typically three years. It is then cooled for several years in on-site spent fuel pools before being transferred to long-term storage. The spent fuel, though low in volume, is high-level radioactive waste.

Related on thisDay

Chernobyl Disaster — April 26, 1986

28 lives lost instantly: in 1986, Ukraine's Chernobyl disaster caused widespread radioactive contamination, ending in a massive cleanup effort.

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: Chernobyl Disaster — April 26, 1986 Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Nuclear Power Plant.” thisDay, thisday.info/history/nuclear-power-plant/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Nuclear Power Plant. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/history/nuclear-power-plant/

Chicago

“Nuclear Power Plant.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/history/nuclear-power-plant/.

Found an error? Let us know.