Ukraine, intl partners seeking solutions to restore Chornobyl NPP confinement – minister
Ukraine has already started consultations with international partners and donors to restore the New Safe Confinement (NSC) over Unit 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Minister of Ukraine Svitlana Hrynchuk said.
"We, together with our builders, scientists, designers, together with partners who were involved then in the construction of the arch, have already begun to assess the technical condition and the development of solutions as to how we will get out of the situation, how we will restore the function of the arch, for which it was built in general," she said on the Rada television channel.
The Minister noted that so far it is difficult to say how long this work will take and how much it will cost.
"It should be a capital work, because we should all realize that this facility must meet all requirements in order to ensure radiation safety. That's what it was built for, all the norms were met. Unfortunately, then the designers and builders did not take into account that we have neighbors who can attack the nuclear facility from the air with drones," Hrynchuk said.
As reported, a Russian drone struck the NSC at the Chornobyl NPP on February 14. The fire damaged the integrity of the outer shell of the NSC and equipment in the crane maintenance garage.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said on February 15 that the radiation levels at the facility had not changed despite the significant damage, which was confirmed by the IAEA team's own measurements.
The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has allocated more than UAH 1.5 billion to keep the Chornobyl NPP confinement in a safe condition.