Transforming Chernobyl Factsheet [EBRD

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Transforming Chernobyl Factsheet [EBRD Transforming Chernobyl The EBRD and the Shelter Implementation Plan EBRD factsheet The Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) was set up in 1997 at the EBRD to assist Ukraine in transforming the existing shelter over Chernobyl’s destroyed unit 4 to a stable and environmentally safe state. To achieve this goal, the CSF finances the implementation of the so-called Shelter Implementation Plan which was elaborated by Western and Ukrainian experts in 1997 as a step-by- step solution to the current situation at Chernobyl. Foreword In April 1986 the explosion of Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant shook the world. The consequences of Donors the accident were enormous and manifold. The fallout was The following countries are not only radioactive. contributors to the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and members of the International efforts to mitigate the consequences of the Donor Assembly: Chernobyl accident gained momentum in the mid-1990s. A breakthrough was achieved in 1997 when the G7/EU and Ukraine reached agreement on the Shelter Implementation Country Amount By Jean Lemierre (€ million) Plan, a programme of actions to convert the destroyed President of the Reactor 4 into an environmentally safe site. Pledges of over Austria 7.5 European Bank for Belgium 4.3 €800 million to-date underscore the seriousness of the Reconstruction and Canada 34.9 international community’s commitment. Development Denmark 5.0 Ten years on, a lot has been achieved. Stabilisation measures have been European Community 204.8 carried out successfully to reduce the risk of the Shelter that currently encloses Finland 4.5 unit 4 collapsing. The infrastructure is now in place for the biggest project within France 41.8 the Shelter Implementation Plan to begin: the New Safe Confinement. Germany 60.5 Greece 5.0 Given the complex circumstances, this is a project and a construction without Ireland 8.0 parallel in the history of engineering. The confinement will be high enough Italy 33.0 (105 metres) to house a building the size of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Japan 41.7 Paris (90 metres). It will be assembled on site and eventually slid over the Kuwait 5.4 present Shelter. Luxembourg 2.5 The Netherlands 5.7 The work to make this happen has been intense, hard and long. Many valuable Norway 7.0 lessons had to be learned, many important experiences have been made and Poland 2.5 to draw on them will be key for the continuation and completion of the project. Russia 9.0 One of the most important lessons is that an adequate institutional, legal and Spain 5.0 regulatory framework must be in place before anything else can happen. Sweden 6.7 Switzerland 9.3 The signing of the contract for the construction of the New Safe Confinement Ukraine* 45.0 would not have been possible without the continued commitment and United Kingdom 47.6 determination of all parties involved. The donor community, the Ukrainian United States 138.8 authorities, international experts and the EBRD all worked together to make *Ukraine has in addition agreed to take on this happen. the dismantling of unstable Shelter parts, a task valued at about US$ 22 million. This signing marks a massive achievement, but it must not be forgotten that is only the beginning. A successful conclusion will depend on the continued Donations have been made by solidarity of the international community and the unwavering commitment of Iceland, Israel, Korea, Portugal, the all parties involved. Today’s signing demonstrates what can be achieved. In Slovak Republic and Slovenia. this spirit the EBRD will spare no effort to bring this project to a successful conclusion. Gulf of Bothnia G. of Finland Over the years influencesSkagerrak like water and snow have led to a Nor th Sea serious decay of the structure, which stillGulf ofcontains Riga 95 per cent of unit 4’s nuclear inventory.Kattegat Baltic Sea A brief history of the project Scale (km) 0 100 200 1 Belarus Russia The consequences of the nuclear accident at unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the early hours of 26 Chernobyl Kiev April 1986 are still with us. Under extremely hazardous Poland conditions a steel and concrete structure (the Shelter) was built hastily immediately after the accident. This was Ukraine always intended as a temporary measure until a more permanent solution would be possible. Moldova Over the years influences like water and snow have led Sea of Azov to a serious decay of the structure, which still contains 95 per cent of unit 4’s nuclear inventory. The authorities Romania of Ukraine and the international community have been working together for years to find a solution to make the Black Sea shelter stable and the site environmentally safe. 3 These efforts produced first tangible results in MayMontenegr 1997o when the G7, EU and Ukraine agreed on the ShelterAdriatic Sea Within the Shelter Implementation Plan the New Safe Implementation Plan (SIP), a programme of actions Confinement (NSC) is the biggest, most visible and designed by international and Ukrainian experts. In the most spectacular one. Not only the size of the structure same year, the Chernobyl Shelter Fund was set up at theAlbani a Gulf of Taranto is impressive, it is also an audacious undertaking: EBRD with the Bank as fund Tyrrhenianmanager Sea and administrator. Never before has movable structure of such size been Aegean The G7 countries pledged US$ 300 million and manyIonian other constructed,Sea especially in close vicinity to a zone of Sea countries joined as contributors over the following years. radiation danger. This demonstration of international solidarity helped The aims of the NSC are: Ukraine shut down reactor 3, the last operating unit at Chernobyl, at the end of December 2000. When the ■ Prevention of incursion of water and snow Syria government of Ukraine announced its decision, the Chair of ■ Protection against the release of radioactivity the G7 Nuclear Safety Working Group stated: “We certainly Mediterranean Sea ■ Establishment of the environment in which the will not let our Ukrainian friends stand alone. Close to controlled deconstruction of the destroyed reactor and 30 countries are here to work with you for the common theEastern Shelter Europewill be possible. objective that we have.” As recently as the 2006 summit in National Capitals International Boundaries Highways St Petersburg the G8 confirmed: “We remain resolute in ourCities After 3,000,000+ years of preparation,Primary Roads work on the confinement can Cities 900,000-2,999,999 Major Rivers undertakings to Ukraine.” now begin. It is estimatedIntermediate that Rivers completion will take 48- 52 months. The New Safe Confinement will be a massive 2 achievement in engineering, but even more so a powerful symbol of what the international community can achieve by The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is located near the working together. border between Ukraine and Belarus and some 110 kilometres north of Kiev. Construction of the plant began in The latest cost estimate for the Shelter Implementation 1970. Four Soviet-designed RBMK-1000 reactors were built Plan from July 2007 forecasts an overall cost of US$ 1.39 and connected to the grid between 1977 and 1983. At the billion. As of end-June 2007, the EBRD-managed Chernobyl time of the 1986 accident two more reactors, units 5 and Shelter Fund has recorded total contributions of €739 6, were under construction. These plans were subsequently million. Accrued interest brings total income to €810 abandoned. million. Units 1, 2 and 3 were shut down between 1999 and In its last assembly meeting in mid-June 2007 the 2000 and decommissioning is continuing. The Shelter donor community reiterated its commitment to the final Implementation Plan only deals with unit 4. The centre- implementation of the SIP. piece of this plan is the New Safe Confinement. But to enable the realisation of this most visible of all SIP projects, first all the necessary conditions had to be created. The New Safe Confinement will be a massive achievement in engineering, but even more so a powerful symbol of what the international community can achieve by working together. The authors of the SIP identified 5 principal goals, most of which have been achieved: Goal 1: Shelter stabilisation In view of the fact that the Shelter was always only a makeshift solution and its condition deteriorating, the stabilisation of the construction became a priority target to prevent a collapse of the building. Accordingly, the first works carried out under the SIP were emergency repairs. Between end-2004 and end-2006 the roof and the western wall of the shelter were successfully stabilised. In addition, the programme included extremely challenging tasks inside the Shelter such as the installation of new structural Confinement construction concept supports in the ventilation stack. During the challenging stabilisation work 2,500 workers Radioactive water contained in the shelter has also were employed. Throughout construction, strict radiation been perceived as a substantial environmental risk. The protection requirements were adhered to. construction of the New Safe Confinement will result in a As part of the project a work area for the contractor has substantial reduction of water entering the shelter. been created including utilities, warehouses, road and Goal 4: Improvement of worker and rail connections. The Shelter stabilisation was finished on environmental safety time and within the planned budget of US$ 50 million. In addition, the infrastructure has been put in place without Worker protection has always been a top priority under which no construction work can be undertaken on the site. the SIP. A radiological protection strategy and programme This includes a state-of-the-art change facility for 1,430 are in place.
Recommended publications
  • General Assembly Distr.: General 27 September 2019
    United Nations A/74/461 General Assembly Distr.: General 27 September 2019 Original: English . Seventy-fourth session Agenda item 71 (d) Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance: strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster Persistent legacy of the Chernobyl disaster Report of the Secretary-General Summary The present report is submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 71/125 on the persistent legacy of the Chernobyl disaster and provides an update on the progress made in the implementation of all aspects of the resolution. The report provides an overview of the recovery and development activities undertaken by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system and other international actors to address the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The United Nations system remains committed to promoting the principle of leaving no one behind and ensuring that the governmental efforts to support the affected regions are aimed at achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. 19-16688 (E) 041019 151019 *1916688* A/74/461 I. General situation 1. Since the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident on 26 April 1986, the United Nations, along with the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, has been leading the recovery and development efforts to support the affected regions. While extensive humanitarian work was conducted immediately after the accident, additional recovery and rehabilitation activities were conducted in the following years to secure the area, limit the exposure of the population, provide medical follow-up to those affected and study the health consequences of the incident.
    [Show full text]
  • Construction of the Protective Shelter for the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Faces Schedule Delays, Potential Cost Increases, and Technical Uncertainties
    United States Government Accountability Office Report to the Ranking Member, GAO Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives July 2007 NUCLEAR SAFETY Construction of the Protective Shelter for the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Faces Schedule Delays, Potential Cost Increases, and Technical Uncertainties GAO-07-923 July 2007 NUCLEAR SAFETY Accountability Integrity Reliability Highlights Construction of the Protective Shelter for Highlights of GAO-07-923, a report to the the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Faces Ranking Member, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Schedule Delays, Potential Cost Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives Increases, and Technical Uncertainties Why GAO Did This Study What GAO Found In 1986, an explosion at the Although two of three construction components—site preparation and Chernobyl nuclear power plant in stabilization of the existing shelter—are nearly finished, construction of the Ukraine destroyed the reactor new shelter has fallen about 7 years behind schedule. Over the past couple building and released massive of years, the main reason for schedule slippage has been the failure to award amounts of radioactive a construction contract. The lack of a contract is partly the result of a contamination. A temporary lengthy disagreement between Ukraine and the European Bank for shelter was built over the damaged reactor to prevent further Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). In late 2006, the Chernobyl contamination. The United States nuclear power plant director told GAO that the donors should not make any is a major donor to an international additional contributions to the project until contracting issues were project to build a new shelter to resolved.
    [Show full text]
  • Chernobyl: Chronology of a Disaster
    MARCH 11, 2011 | No. 724 CHERNOBYL: CHRONOLOGY OF A DISASTER CHERNOBYL; CHRONOLOGY OF A DISASTER 1 INHOUD: 1- An accident waiting to happen 2 2- The accident and immediate consequences ( 1986 – 1989) 4 3- Trying to minimize the consequences (1990 – 2000) 8 4- Aftermath: no lessons learned (2001 - 2011) 5- Postscript 18 Chernobyl - 200,000 sq km contaminated; 600,000 liquidators; $200 billion in damage; 350,000 people evacuated; 50 mln Ci of radiation. Are you ready to pay this price for the development of nuclear power? (Poster by Ecodefence, 2011) 1 At 1.23 hr on April 26, 1986, the fourth reactor of the Cherno- power plants are designed to withstand natural disasters (hur- byl nuclear power plant exploded. ricanes, fl oods, earthquakes, etc.) and to withstand aircraft The disaster was a unique industrial accident due to the crash and blasts from outside. The safety is increased by scale of its social, economic and environmental impacts and the possibility in Russia to select a site far away from bigger longevity. It is estimated that, in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia towns." (page 647: "Zur Betriebssicherheit sind die Kraftwerke alone, around 9 million people were directly affected resulting (VVER and RBMK) mit drei parallel arbeitenden Sicherheit- from the fact that the long lived radioactivity released was systeme ausgeruested. Die Kraftwerke sing gegen Naturka- more than 200 times that of the atomic bombs dropped on tastrophen (Orkane, Ueberschwemmungen, Erdbeben, etc) Hiroshima and Nagasaki. und gegen Flugzeugabsturz und Druckwellen von aussen ausgelegt. Die Sicherheit wird noch durch die in Russland Across the former Soviet Union the contamination resulted in moegliche Standortauswahl, KKW in gewisser Entfernung van evacuation of some 400,000 people.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF: Transforming Chernobyl
    The works to transform Chernobyl into a safe and on the ground. Total costs for the Shelter secure state are nearing conclusion. The New Implementation Plan – of which the NSC is the Safe Confinement (NSC), a gigantic steel arch, most prominent element – were estimated to be has been erected and is now being equipped €2.1 billion in 2014, leaving a large funding gap with systems and tools to make the site safe for of €615 million. generations to come. The EBRD shareholders’ decision in November Impressive progress has been made and we are 2014 to commit an additional €350 million confident that the NSC will be completed and (from the Bank’s reserves) for the NSC and operational by the end of 2017. an anticipated €165 million from the G7/ European Commission have significantly The Chernobyl project would not have been reduced the funding gap. However, a shortfall of possible without the active involvement and €100 million remains. generous contributions of the international community and Ukraine. The fact that to date Ukraine is currently in a vulnerable state and more than 40 countries and the EBRD have cannot be left to bear this uniquely hazardous provided funds speaks for itself. burden alone. The EBRD welcomes the leadership of the G7 to secure the full funding As the project is now far-advanced it is possible of the project. to make a reliable cost estimate based on the final design of the NSC and the progress Suma Chakrabarti, EBRD President PART OF A LARGER The New Safe Confinement (NSC) is a structure intended to the international community’s work together with Ukraine cover the destroyed reactor unit 4 at Chernobyl, the site of got under way.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident : Its Decommissioning, The
    The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident : its decommissioning, the Interim Spent Fuel Storage ISF-2, the nuclear waste treatment plants and the Safe Confinement project. by Dr. Ing. Fulcieri Maltini Ph.D. SMIEEE, life, PES, Comsoc FM Consultants Associates, France Keywords Nuclear power, Disaster engineering, Decommissioning, Waste management & disposal, Buildings, structures & design. Abstract On April 26, 1986, the Unit 4 of the RBMK nuclear power plant of Chernobyl, in Ukraine, went out of control during a test at low-power, leading to an explosion and fire. The reactor building was totally demolished and very large amounts of radiation were released into the atmosphere for several hundred miles around the site including the nearby town of Pripyat. The explosion leaving tons of nuclear waste and spent fuel residues without any protection and control. Several square kilometres were totally contaminated. Several hundred thousand people were affected by the radiation fall out. The radioactive cloud spread across Europe affecting most of the northern, eastern, central and southern Europe. The initiative of the G7 countries to launch an important programme for the closure of some Soviet built nuclear plants was accepted by several countries. A team of engineers was established within the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development were a fund was provided by the donor countries for the entire design, management of all projects and the plants decommissioning. The Chernobyl programme includes the establishment of a safety strategy for the entire site remediation and the planning for the plant decommissioning. Several facilities that will process and store the spent fuel and the radioactive liquid and solid waste as well as to protect the plant damaged structures have been designed and are under construction.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Contribution to EBRD Chernobyl Shelter Fund: 4Th Pledge, 5Th Instalment
    Community Contribution to EBRD Chernobyl Shelter Fund: 4th Pledge, 5th Instalment Description Background The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is situated 110 Km north of Kiev. Its construction began in the 1970s and by 1983 four units were in operation producing about 10 percent of Ukraine’s electricity. Two additional units were under construction. On 26 April 1986, the world’s worst nuclear accident occurred, which destroyed Unit 4 of the power plant and resulted in the release of radioactive materials into the environment. The nearby city of Chernobyl, located about 15 km away from the power plant had a population of 12,500, but the city was not the residence of the power plant workers. When the power plant was under construction, Prypiat, a city larger and closer to the power plant, had been built as home for the power plant workers. It had a population of just under 50,000 at the time of the accident. Evacuation of the population of Prypiat began about 40 hours after the accident. Later other population areas within a 30km radius were evacuated, including the city of Chernobyl. By 14th May 1986, some 116,000 people had been evacuated. In the years following the accident, a further 220,000 people were resettled into less contaminated areas, and the initial 30 km radius exclusion zone (2800 km2) was modified and extended to cover about 4300 km2. Following the accident a Shelter (sometimes referred to as a ‘sarcophagus’) enclosing the remains of ChNPP Unit 4 was constructed under exceedingly hazardous conditions. Units 1, 2 and 3 (adjacent to Unit 4) were put back into operation, raising the fear of another accident.
    [Show full text]
  • International Initiative for the Chernobyl
    GC(41)/RES/21 October 1997 International Atomic Energy Agency GENERAL Distr. GENERAL CONFERENCE Original: ENGLISH Forty-first regular session Agenda item 22 (GC(41)/28) INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR THE CHERNOBYL SARCOPHAGUS Resolution adopted on 3 October 1997 during the 9th plenary meeting INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR THE CHERNOBYL SARCOPHAGUS The General Conference. (a) Recalling the Chernobyl accident of 1986, which destroyed Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, (b) Mindful that the sarcophagus enclosing the remains of Reactor 4 was built under extremely adverse conditions, was intended to serve only as an interim measure and does not represent a long-term solution to the problems posed by the destroyed reactor, (c) Noting that the Group of 7 and Ukraine have adopted the Shelter Implementation Plan developed by an international team of experts to transform the sarcophagus to an environmentally safer condition over the long term, (d) Noting that Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union are committed to raise US$300 million to support the approximately US$750 million Shelter Implementation Plan and that Ukraine will contribute in kind, and (e) Aware that Ukraine currently expends nearly 12 per cent of its national budget on dealing with consequences of the Chernobyl accident, 1. Welcomes the decision of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to establish the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, to administer the implementation of the Shelter Implementation Plan and to convene meetings at least annually of the countries contributing to the Fund for the purpose of reviewing and approving projects to implement the Plan; and GC(41)/RES/21 page 2 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Press Pack: EU Work on Nuclear Safety in Chernobyl European Union
    Press Pack: EU work on nuclear safety EuropeAid Press Pack: EU work on nuclear safety in Chernobyl Background material for the Kiev/Chernobyl press visit 22-25 February 2011 European Union actions and projects in the Chernobyl zone: making the area safe again 1 European Commission actions and projects in the Chernobyl zone: about € 470 million invested Since the Chernobyl accident, the European Commission has been working continuously to improve nuclear safety and to deal with legacy of the disaster. The European Commission has so far committed some €470 million to Chernobyl and related projects. In addition to contributions to international funds (the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and the Nuclear Safety Account) the Commission has also funded projects to study, assess and mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. Other projects addressed the social and regional consequences of the accident and provided for power replacement following the closure of the plant, as well as reform of the energy sector in Ukraine. Context Situated 110 km north of Kiev, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s (ChNPP) construction began in the 1970s. By 1983, four units were in operation, producing approximately 10 percent of Ukraine’s electricity. At the time of the accident in 1986, two additional units were under construction. The nearby city of Prypiat had a population of about 50,000 before the accident. The accident took place on the night of 25 to 26 April 1986 during a test that went dramatically wrong due to design weaknesses and safety rules not being adhered to. Following the Chernobyl accident, some 200 000 people were evacuated from the vicinity of Chernobyl and a shelter (sometimes referred to as “sarcophagus”) enclosing the remains of Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 was constructed under exceedingly hazardous conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Chernobyl's Legacy
    T. SUESS/TIMMSUESS.COM T. Ghost from the past: encased in crumbling concrete, the deadly contents of Chernobyl’s reactor number 4 still exert a far-reaching effect on the area. Despite those differences, the quarter-cen- tury of work following the Chernobyl disaster will offer some important lessons for Japan Chernobyl’s legacy as the nation begins to assess the health and environmental consequences of Fukushima. Twenty-five years after the nuclear disaster, the clean-up grinds The problems that followed Chernobyl also on and health studies are faltering. Are there lessons for Japan? provide a grim reminder about the value of accurate information. Officials need to tell people immediately how to avoid the initial, BY MARK PEPLOW most dangerous, exposure; yet in the longer term, scientists and the government must bat- tle against unnecessary concern over low-level he morning train from Slavutych the ensuing blaze spewed 6.7 tonnes of material doses of radiation, which often causes more is packed with commuters playing from the core high into the atmosphere, harm than the radiation itself. cards, browsing e-readers, or watch- spreading radioactive isotopes over more than In some ways, the connection between the ing the monotonous flood plains pass 200,000 square kilometres of Europe (see ‘The two accidents may yield the biggest benefits Tby. It looks like any other routine journey to hottest zone’). Dozens of emergency workers for Chernobyl. For a brief window of time, the work. But rather than facing a crush through died within months from radiation exposure world has again focused attention on the largely subway turnstiles at the end of the 40-minute and thousands of children in the region later overlooked work there.
    [Show full text]
  • Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr Charles Flanagan T.D Op Ed For
    Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr Charles Flanagan T.D Op Ed for the first United Nations designated International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day Published in The Sunday Independent, 23 April 2017 Rarely does a single word become so powerful that it can tell the story of a million lives, but Chernobyl is one such word. Next Wednesday, April 26, marks the first UN International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. It is important that this disaster and its victims be remembered. Indeed, those affected by the 1986 explosion continue to need support in their journey towards recovery and sustainable development. The number of individual lives affected by the disaster is staggering. More than 300,000 people were displaced and thousands suffered severe health effects. Were it not for the work of some 600,000 people to prevent further fallout and clean up contaminated areas, the effects would have been far worse. We are heavily indebted to them. More than 30 years later, a large exclusion zone still exists around the former nuclear power plant, a wilderness that is a stark reminder of the long-term damage caused by the disaster. Ireland has contributed over €8 million to the international Chernobyl Shelter Fund to help secure the site. A crucial objective has been the installation of a structure, roughly twice the size of Croke Park, to isolate what remains of the reactor and the unstable sarcophagus surrounding it. A symbol of the lasting consequences of the explosion, this structure is expected to become operational later this year. The ultimate challenge, however, will be the safe disposal of the radioactive material within.
    [Show full text]
  • Chernobyl's New Safe Confinement Moved Into Position
    Chernobyl’s New Safe Confinement moved into position The process of moving the massive structure over the destroyed Unit 4 reactor building was completed in late November. hirty years after the nuclear di- ar fuel still inside the reactor for at least time span involved the sliding of the saster at Chernobyl, in Ukraine, a century. structure; on other days, maintenance, Tthe radioactive remains of the de- To reach its final resting place, the NSC installations, and equipment checks were stroyed Unit 4 have been safely enclosed was slid on rails—propelled by a system performed. by a giant arched structure in one of the of hydraulic jacks—a distance of 327 The NSC now encloses the makeshift world’s most ambitious engineering proj- meters (about 357 yards) from the point shelter that was hastily assembled over the ects (NN, Dec. 2016, p. 22). The New Safe of assembly. The process began on No- reactor from June to late November 1986 Confinement (NSC) will safeguard the vember 14, 2016, and was completed on to contain the highly radioactive materials radioactive structures and tons of nucle- November 27. Seven of the days in that inside the reactor building. Above: An aerial view of the New Safe Confinement (NSC). The photo shows the tilting panels—which will eventually be closed over openings in the structure once it is in place over the old Chernobyl-4 shelter—undergoing testing. (Photo taken August 4, 2016) Left: This view of the east end of the NSC was taken on November 14, the day the sliding of the structure to cover the old shelter began.
    [Show full text]
  • National Report. Document Developed in Compliance with The
    UKRAINE NATIONAL REPORT On Compliance with the Obligations under the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management KYIV 2008 FOREWORD Ukraine signed Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (further – Joint Convention) on 29th September 1997 and was one of the first countries to ratify it by the Law of Ukraine on 20 April 2000. Since coming into force of the Joint Convention on 18 June 2001 Ukraine became an active participant of all processes and events that take place in frames of convention in order to fulfill its tasks. First and Second National Reports of Ukraine were presented to the Parties of the Joint Convention at the review meetings, comments and recommendations of the First and Second Review Meetings were implemented in frames of national action plans. This Third National Report of Ukraine was prepared by the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine in full compliance with the requirements of the Joint Convention and Guidelines Regarding the Form and the Structure of National reports INFCIRC/604 as well as the Summary Report of the Second Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties (JC/RM.2/03/Rev.1) and the Synopsis prepared by the IAEA Secretariat. By submitting this National report Ukraine completely fulfills its obligations according to Article 32 of the Joint Convention. This Report as well as the previous ones is based on the legislative and regulatory documents in force in Ukraine, official reports of state executive authorities responsible for development and implementation of state policy in the area of nuclear energy use and state enterprises – operating organizations – operators.
    [Show full text]