The New Safe Confinement at Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant successfully completed its final commissioning test on April 25.
The successful conclusion of the 72-hour trial operation test, a day before the 33rd anniversary of the 1986 accident, marks the safe physical completion of the new structure placed over the destroyed reactor 4, EBRD reported.
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The New Safe Confinement will protect the environment from further releases of radioactive materials and enable the long-term safe and secure deconstruction of the old shelter and the destroyed reactor, as well as the removal of the radioactive inventory.
This milestone is the culmination of over a decade's work on the New Safe Confinement, implemented through the EBRD's Chornobyl Shelter Fund. Supported by over 45 donor nations as well as funds from the EBRD in excess of a total cost of EUR 2.1 billion, the New Safe Confinement project at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant represents the largest international collaboration ever in the field of nuclear safety.
Thanks to the long-standing and resolute commitment of donors, the conditions have now been created in Chornobyl for the first time since the accident to address future challenges in a safe and secure environment.
Balthasar Lindauer, EBRD Director, Nuclear Safety, said: "This is a tremendous success and the result of the outstanding cooperation of all parties involved. We thank our donors for their commitment and our partners for the finalisation of this unique project."
The New Safe Confinement is part of the Shelter Implementation Plan to transform Chornobyl into an environmentally safe and secure environment. The EBRD to date has provided EUR 715 million of its own resources to support Chornobyl projects including the New Safe Confinement.
