Environment minister proposes using Chornobyl NPP exclusion zone for country's economy

17:17, 13.03.2015 1 min read

Ukraine's Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Ihor Shevchenko has proposed taking measures to use the territories of the exclusion zone of Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP), which are not dangerous, for the country's economy.

He said this during a public report on the 100 days of the Ukrainian government's activities in Kyiv.

"We need to return the area to the country's economy so that people could work there," he said.

Shevchenko said that it is planned to create the Polissia Biosphere Reserve in the exclusion zone in the near future.

According to him, the creation of the reserve, which will improve the safety of Chornobyl NPP, would soon be completed.

"I think we will forget about this problem for 100 years," the minister said.

Shevchenko added that it is planned to decommission Chornobyl NPP in the near future and this will reduce the burden on the national budget.