Safety hazard: Arch severely damaged in Chornobyl after drone attack
14 February 13:36
An unprecedented incident that almost led to an emergency occurred at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. At about two in the morning on February 14, a Russian air attack resulted in a direct hit by a drone, probably a Shahed, on the protective shell of the New Safe Confinement Arch of the Shelter. A fire started in the shell. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and no radiation was released beyond the established limits. To find out how serious the damage is, what measures should be taken to eliminate the consequences, and how quickly it can happen, Komersant ukrainskyi asked Valery Seida, the plant’s director.
As noted at the station, the drone hit the Shelter at 87 meters above the room of technological equipment that remotely ensures the functioning of the Confinement. Not only was the outer and inner shell (cladding) of the Arch and the equipment of the main crane system damaged, but also the outer and inner shells caught fire over an area of about 40 square meters. The forces and means of the State Emergency Service units consisting of 65 personnel and 17 units of equipment, 15 personnel of the Chornobyl NPP, the National Guard, the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine were engaged at the scene.
There were no casualties. At present, the radiation background on the territory of the ChNPP industrial site and in the exclusion zone does not exceed the control levels. The situation is under control.
“The damage to the Shelter is very serious, and today we need to examine the state of the structure at the place of arrival. We need to conduct a survey. Now we are deciding how to close the hole at the site of damage as soon as possible. At least temporarily,” ChNPP Director Valeriy Seida told .
According to Valeriy Seida, it is possible to find funds for the restoration. Although it is a large amount. But the main task is to find the specialists who built this Arch. These are Ukrainian specialists who have been specially trained for such specific work.
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“First of all, we need people who are capable of performing climbing work. Those who built it and were trained by foreign specialists have all left for other cities. Now we need to find them,” said Valeriy Seida.
At the same time, according to the director of the station, another important task is to prevent this from happening in the future.
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.
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Author: Alla Dunina
