An international donor conference held in London on Wednesday secured financing for the completion on schedule by the end of 2017 of the New Safe Confinement (NSC), which is being built to cover destroyed Chornobyl nuclear reactor No. 4, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said.

At the conference, the G7 and European Commission confirmed an additional contribution of EUR 165 million to the Chornobyl Shelter Fund, while other countries pledged EUR 15 million.

"Prior to these new pledges, the NSC project had been facing a funding gap of EUR 615 million, which has now been reduced to EUR 85 million by the international community. The new funds allow all works in Chornobyl to continue without delay. Meanwhile, efforts to raise the remaining shortfall will continue, with the EBRD covering any outstanding amount," the EBRD said in a statement.

Several other countries indicated that they would also make contributions in the near future.

The EBRD Governors had already said in November 2014 that the EBRD would provide an additional EUR 350 million.

Ukrainian MP Mykola Tomenko wrote on his blog after the donor conference that the European Commission allocated EUR70 million, the United States $40 million, Germany and France EUR 11.2 million each, Japan $12.62 million, Italy EUR 6.5 million, Norway EUR 3.5 million, Austria EUR 3 million, Great Britain and Canada 8.756 million and 8.7 million, respectively, without mentioning the currency of the last two amounts.

Tomenko also wrote that Denmark gave DKK 5 million, Turkey EUR 500,000, Belgium EUR 200,000, Estonia EUR 30,000, Iceland EUR 50,000, Kazakhstan EUR 1 million, South Korea $200,000, Lithuania EUR 20,000, Kuwait $3.8 million, Luxembourg EUR 200,000, Poland EUR 1.25 million, Sweden SEK 10 million (he mentioned other countries' contributions, yet, the information is incomplete and needs to be specified).

The Chornobyl Shelter Fund was set up in 1997 to assist Ukraine in achieving this goal. The NSC, at a cost of EUR 1.5 billion, is the most prominent element of the EUR 2.15 billion Shelter Implementation Plan, the strategic framework developed to overcome the consequences of the 1986 accident.

With a height of 110 meters, a length of 165 meters, a span of 260 meters and a weight of more than 30,000 tons the New Safe Confinement is the largest moveable land-based structure ever built. It has been constructed since 2010 in a cleared area in two halves which have been lifted and joined.

The structure is currently being equipped with heavy duty cranes and other specialized equipment before it will be moved over the damaged reactor in late 2017. It will have a lifespan of a minimum of 100 years and allow for the future dismantling of the old shelter and its radioactive inventory as well as waste management operations.

To date, 43 donor governments have contributed to the Chornobyl Shelter Fund. In addition to its role as fund manager the EBRD has provided EUR 675 million of its own resources to support Chornobyl projects including the NSC.