ChNPP receives 400 thousand euros to assess the drone-damaged shelter
4 March 12:40
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine has announced the allocation of 400 thousand euros to study the damage to the New Safe Confinement (NSC) Arch in Chornobyl. The funding is provided from the administrative budget of the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
The decision to allocate funds was made during an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly of the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl. The discussion was attended by representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine and the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM).
Svitlana Hrynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, noted that this is the first step in restoring the NSC Arch to normal operation after the Russian attack on February 14. The allocated funds will be used to conduct an expert assessment of the consequences of a Russian drone hitting the protective shell of the Arch.
According to Svitlana Hrynchuk, during the meeting with international partners, the preliminary results of the damage assessment and possible options for their elimination were discussed. The main task for today is to conduct a detailed analysis and unite the efforts of donors for further restoration of the property.
It is expected that eliminating the consequences of Russian aggression may require more financial resources than are currently available in the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl.
“There is a possibility that eliminating the consequences of Russian aggression will require more funds than are currently available on the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl,” Hrynchuk summarized.
The day before, the government allocated more than UAH 1.5 billion to keep the Chornobyl NPP shelter safe. Thus, the government increased funding by 139 million compared to 2024.
Radiation monitoring and safety
The radiation background in the Chornobyl NPP control zone does not exceed permissible values and is within normal limits. All changes are monitored in real time. Data on the radiation situation are available to the public on the web resource of the Ministry of Environment “EcoThreat”.
Russian strike on the Chornobyl sarcophagus
On February 14, a Russian attack drone with an explosive warhead hit the shelter that protects the world from radiation from the destroyed 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
on February 16, representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency inspected the Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s shelter. During the inspection, the IAEA team noted that the outer and inner shells of the arch had been damaged by a drone attack. A hole with a diameter of about 6 meters was formed there, and some equipment and electrical cables were also damaged. However, the support beams were not significantly damaged.
Repairs are expected to begin when the fire is completely out.
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What is known about the Chornobyl sarcophagus
As a reminder, the sarcophagus built over the exploded fourth power unit was gradually collapsing, which could have led to a catastrophe. In March 2004, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced a tender for the design, construction and commissioning of a new sarcophagus for the Chornobyl NPP.
The main function of the new arch is to limit the spread of radioactive substances contained in the Shelter. This condition must be met both in normal operation and in the event of an accident (destruction) of the existing Shelter. The project envisages that the new structure will be operated for 100 years.
The new sarcophagus at the Chornobyl NPP was built by about 3,000 workers starting in April 2012. The builders worked in shifts to avoid exceeding the permissible radiation dose. Almost three billion dollars were allocated for its construction by the European Union and the United States. The new sarcophagus was put into operation in July 2019.
