On September 22, Energoatom opened its doors to high school students of the capital's European Collegium – a modern school where special attention is paid to developing personal and unlocking pupils’ potential. This visit marked the beginning of the season of introducing young people to the nuclear energy performance in the new academic year.
The topic of the lecture was the lessons of Chernobyl: how they were taken into account in the development of nuclear energy and what fundamental changes occurred in the industry after the tragedy. The choice of the topic was not accidental – next year marks 40 years since the Chernobyl accident, and this event still attracts the attention of society, especially young people.
One of the key moments of the meeting was a reflection on the root causes of the disaster and a discussion of how the concept of “safety culture” appeared in world practice after Chernobyl. The participants learned the meaning of that in practice, and discussed the importance of public control in the nuclear field, the role of the nuclear regulatory inspectorate and the implementation of automated radiation monitoring systems at Ukrainian NPPs.
The pupils were actively interested in technical aspects: the differences between the Chernobyl NPP reactor and modern power unit reactor, as well as how radioactive waste is managed at Ukrainian plants.
The special atmosphere of the event was created by interactive elements – the model of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and a virtual tour of Ukrainian nuclear power plants using VR glasses.
Therefore, during the meeting, the living word, modern technologies and historical lessons were organically combined. The young people not only received new knowledge, but also were able to understand the importance of nuclear energy for the future of Ukraine more deeply.
