New Chornobyl ‘sarcophagus’ to be put into service in autumn

“This year, the implementation of two international projects will be completed: the construction of new safe confinement and a dry-type spent nuclear fuel storage. The confinement was put into design position in 2016. Over the past years, the measures have been taken for the installation of necessary systems so that it starts to perform its functions. First, the protective ones and, second, dismantling of unstable structures of the "Shelter", and in the future - the extraction of fuel mass," Chairman of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management Vitaly Petruk said on the air of the UA: Ukrainian Radio, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The Chornobyl NPP is now preparing to transfer confinement to the customer and put it into service, he recalled.

“The transfer should be carried out this year, it will be a separate event. I think we will arrive at such a decision by the beginning of autumn,” Petruk said.

As reported, on April 22, the new safe confinement was put into test operation, which lasted 72 hours. The test of new shelter was successful.

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