Testing and equipment installation continues for the giant metal arch that covers Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said Wednesday.
The arch, officially known as the New Safe Confinement, was put into place nearly one year ago over the reactor facility destroyed in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It is scheduled before next July to be turned over to leadership of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP), according to an EBRD press release.
Completion of the New Safe Confinement is a key step in the broader €2.1 billion Shelter Implementation Plan for remediation of the Chernobyl site.
Cranage, ventilation, and other systems are nearly finished being put into place within the arch, and the contaminated area around Reactor 4 is being sealed off. “Extensive testing” of the arch is also being conducted, the release says.
The crane unit, emplaced near the arch ceiling, will have a maximum weight allowance of 50 metric tons. It will be used in disassembly of Reactor 4.
Ventilation technology is intended to ensure the New Safe Confinement lives out its full planned 100-year life cycle, according to EBRD: “A relative humidity of no more than 40 per cent will keep the metal structure free or corrosion, while pressure differentials will prevent the release of radioactive dust and other particles.”
The EBRD has so far contributed €715 million for cleanup at Chernobyl, including the arch project. Over 40 nations and other groups are supporting the project.
