Chernobyl Atlas

This educational reconstruction needs JavaScript for its interactive timeline, but does not require WebGL to read its history.

A site through time

Main-building foundation work began in August 1972, after earlier site preparation. Units 1, 2, 3 and 4 first supplied the grid in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1983 respectively; commercial operation came later.

Unit 4 was destroyed on 26 April 1986. The original Shelter was accepted on 30 November 1986. Unit 2 ceased generation in 1991, Unit 1 in 1996 and Unit 3 on 15 December 2000.

The New Safe Confinement was moved over the Shelter on 29 November 2016 and handed over on 10 July 2019. A drone strike damaged it on 14 February 2025. The outer-cladding opening was closed in October 2025, but full restoration was still a priority at the 15 September 2026 IAEA meeting.

Latest depicted state: 15 September 2026. Editorial review: 30 September 2026. Not live; geometry is approximate.

Read the official construction history, shutdown history and September 2026 restoration update.