Chernobyl nuclear power plant 3
Retired Ukraine
Gross capacity
1,000MW
Chernobyl nuclear power plant 3 is a light water graphite reactor unit at Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine rated at 1,000 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 8 Jun 1982.
Specification
| Reactor type | Light water graphite reactor (LWGR) |
|---|---|
| Model | RBMK-1000RBMK in the source |
| Size | Largeabove 300 MWe |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Graphite |
| Gross capacity | 1,000MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 925MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 925MW |
| Thermal output | 3,200MWt |
| NSSS vendor | Rosatomall vendors |
| Typical enrichment | 2–2.6% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Chernobyl nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 3 |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Owner | SE NNEGC "Energoatom"100% |
| Operator | Mintopenergo Of Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 51.3894, 30.1007 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Slightly enriched uranium dioxide in pressure tubes
Enrichment
2–2.6% U-235
Who makes this assembly
- TVEL Fuel Company RBMK fuel assemblies
Upstream
Enriched fuel means this unit sits downstream of five conversion plants and four enrichment operators holding 88% of world capacity between the top three.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units,
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Mar 1976Construction start
- 2 Jun 1981First criticality
- 3 Dec 1981Grid connection
- 8 Jun 1982Commercial operation
- 15 Dec 2000Permanent shutdown
Other units at Chernobyl nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 1 | Retired | 800 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 2 | Retired | 1,000 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 4 | Retired | 1,000 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 5 | Cancelled | 1,000 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 6 | Cancelled | 1,000 |
Other RBMK units
6 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 1 | Ukraine | Retired | 800 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 2 | Ukraine | Retired | 1,000 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 4 | Ukraine | Retired | 1,000 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 5 | Ukraine | Cancelled | 1,000 |
| Chernobyl nuclear power plant 6 | Ukraine | Cancelled | 1,000 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-09
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) , CC BY-SA 4.0, linked, not quoted
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data