Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant
Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) is a defunct two-unit Soviet-designed RBMK-1500 nuclear power station in Visaginas Municipality located in northeastern Lithuania, close to the Belarus and Latvian borders.
The plant was decommissioned in 2009 as a condition of EU membership given safety concerns over its design similarities to the failed Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. In the years that followed the decommissioning process has left exteriors and some interiors unchanged, making it the ideal location to double for 1980’s Chernobyl, which cannot be filmed for extensive periods given its high levels of radiation. Similarly, the nearby Soviet town of Visaginas, built in the 1970’s to house plant workers, also has a trapped-in-time look, making it a great option to double for 1980’s Pripyat, the abandoned city originally built to house Chernobyl plant workers. In the spring and summer of 2018, HBO’s series Chernobyl filmed Ignalina for Chernobyl, and Vilnius for Pripyat. Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant is surrounded by Lake Drūkšiai. Once the source of the plant’s cooling water, it is now a beautiful location known for its peaceful waters and pine forests.
Film Permits
Operational nuclear power plants typically do not allow any filming on the premises, given the sensitive nature of the location. Smart filmmakers will jump on the opportunity of filming Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, while it exists. As of 2019 work continues and the plant’s future remains undecided so rules on permission to film are subject to change. Decommissioning work will trump your shooting schedule, so allow for flexibility in your planning. Regardless of its operational status, the location remains a high security site, so make sure to allow plenty of lead time for processing film permits.
Lithuania Fixer, Content Producer, Camera Crew
Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, located 100 miles drive away, is the closest film production service centre where local crew and equipment come from. The town of Visaginas is the closest place to base and sleep film crew.
Are you are a film studio, brand, media company, ad agency or production house looking to shoot your film, TV series, online content, commercial, or any other creative content at Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant or anywhere else in Lithuania? Contact us for Lithuanian production support (fixer or content producer), or camera crew (director, director of photography, cameraman, photographer) and we will get back to you with recommendations best suited to the specifics of your shoot.
Image source.
