Chernobyl No. 1 Reactor Back in Use, Soviets Say

Reactor No. 1 at the Chernobyl nuclear power station resumed commercial output Wednesday, more than five months after the plant suffered the world’s worst nuclear accident, Soviet television said.

A telecast from Chernobyl described the event as a major step. “After five months of silence, the turbines have started working,” a television reporter said.

The Ukraine station was completely shut down after an explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor April 26. At least 31 people have died as a result of the accident and 135,000 were evacuated from areas around Chernobyl.

The official Soviet news agency Tass said two days ago that the first reactor, undamaged in the accident, had been switched on but was not yet producing power for commercial purposes. The Soviet press has said that the second reactor, which was also undamaged, will resume output shortly.

Repairs are continuing on the third reactor, while workers have been completing the entombment of the fourth reactor in concrete to prevent leakages of radiation.

Shortfall of Energy

The Communist Party daily Pravda said two days ago that the Chernobyl accident, coupled with construction delays at other power stations and a shortage of water, had caused a shortfall of energy in the country as winter approaches.

Soviet authorities blamed the accident on workers who carried out unauthorized experiments at the plant. The head of the state committee for safety in the atomic power industry was fired, as was the director and chief engineer at Chernobyl.