Chornobyl's new safe confinement to be put into service this year

"It is hard to overestimate the assistance that Ukraine received from international community. The facility, which will be put into operation this year, is truly unique. The unique organizational structure of the construction process, the unique experience that all parties have gained. Putting the arch into operation is only the beginning of work related to the transformation of the Shelter into an environmentally safe system,” Petruk said.

According to him, the Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel 2 also undergoes the cold testing stage.

Today, July 10, in a ceremony attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the site of the former Chornobyl nuclear power plant the keys for the New Safe Confinement shielding the destroyed reactor 4 were symbolically presented to the Ukrainian authorities. This marked the next step in the transformation of Chornobyl into an environmentally safe and secure state.

The handover also represented the completion of the largest ever example of international cooperation in the field of nuclear safety. The event was attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Chairman of the Chornobyl Shelter Fund Hans Blix, EBRD Managing Director for Ukraine, Eastern Europa and the Caucasus Matteo Patrone, EBRD Director for Nuclear Safety Balthasar Lindauer, and donor representatives.

The New Safe Confinement cost EUR 1.5 billion and was financed by 45 donor countries and institutions.

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