Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, Decommissioned nuclear power plant in Visaginas Municipality, Lithuania.
The Ignalina facility in Visaginas Municipality sits beside Lake Drūkšiai and includes two large reactor buildings and turbine halls now prepared for long-term dismantlement. The site covers several hectares with administrative and technical structures that currently serve the decommissioning teams.
The first reactor started generating electricity in 1983, followed by the second in 1987, both built to a Chernobyl-type design. The facility shut down all power generation at the end of 2009 as a condition for Lithuania joining the European Union.
The construction of the power plant led to the establishment of Visaginas town, which developed specifically to house the facility's workers and their families.
Access to the site is strictly controlled and requires special permission as the decommissioning work continues. Visitor centers or tours are not currently available, though occasional informational displays take place in the nearby town.
The facility once supplied nearly 70 percent of Lithuania's electricity needs and made the country an energy exporter in the region. The cooling system altered Lake Drūkšiai's water temperature noticeably, a change still studied in local ecosystem research today.
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