Further delays in dismantling unstable structures of Shelter threaten their collapse – head of nuclear regulator

Due to difficulties with filling the Chornobyl Shelter Fund, work within the second start-up complex of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) has been postponed indefinitely, which threatens the collapse of unstable structures of the Shelter, said Oleh Korikov, head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.

"Further delays in the implementation of the project to dismantle unstable structures of the Shelter under the NSC shell increase the risks of their collapse, which can lead to extremely negative consequences," his words are quoted on the regulator's website.

He noted that the second NSC start-up complex is an integral part of the overall NSC project and an important task, the implementation of which will allow dismantling the unstable structures of the Shelter. The implementation of the project to stabilize the most unstable structures of the Shelter, completed in 2008, made it possible to maintain an acceptable level of their safety with an established design life of 15 years, that is, until the end of 2023.

As the head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate emphasized, the NSC complex and the Shelter facility need an immediate solution to problematic issues of the safety of its operation.

It is also recalled that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the countries contributing to the International Chernobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) have been supporting the implementation of safety improvement projects at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant industrial site for many years, including the transformation of the Shelter facility erected over the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where the greatest man-made disaster in human history occurred. In particular, cooperation with the EBRD on the Implementation Plan for the Chornobyl Shelter Facility within the Chornobyl Shelter Fund created to finance this activity made it possible to successfully build and commission the confinement over the facility, which is the first start-up complex of the integrated NSC project.