Ukrainian officials say an accident at a nuclear power plant in the southeast poses no danger to public health or the environment.  The words “Ukraine”, Nuclear”, and “Accident” appearing in the same sentence instantly dredges up memories of the massive release of radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear plan three decades ago.

“There is no threat,” said Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn, “there are no problems with the reactors.”

Zaporizhzhya is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.  The accident was caused by a short circuit in its power outlet system, and was “in no way” linked to power production, according to Minister Demchyshyn – but it was clear that Ukraine was dealing with an electricity shortage.  France’s public nuclear safety institute IRSN said it had not detected any unusual radioactivity in Ukraine after the 28 November incident.

The explosion and fire at Ukraine’s Chernobyl power plant in 1986 was at the time the world’s worst nuclear accident.  The region is sealed off to this day.  Some would debate that the 2011 triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan was worse.  A peer-reviewed study in the International Journal of Cancer in 2006 said Chernobyl caused about 1,000 cases of thyroid cancer and 4,000 cases of other cancers in Europe.  Greenpeace says the accident will eventually cause up to 93,000 extra cancer deaths worldwide.