International Effort Fails to Raise Enough Money for Chernobyl Radiation Shield

International leaders pledged millions of dollars at a conference in Kiev on Tuesday to complete a permanent shelter to secure the ruins of Ukraine`s exploded Chernobyl power station. Raw images of proposed shelter. EPA/BGNES

An international effort to raise funds for a new steel sarcophagus for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine has collected 25% less money than needed.

The Ukrainian government said the international conference it organized for the purpose had raised EUR 550 M of the EUR 740 M it needed to finance a massive new radiation shield.

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych said this was a "preliminary" figure, as cited by the BBC. The current steel sarcophagus placed after the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago is nearing the end of its life.

In 1986, the former Soviet Union NPP emitted radiation over Europe in the world's worst nuclear accident ever.

"The catastrophe at Chernobyl power station left a deep wound that Ukraine will need to live with for many years ahead. We thank the international community for not leaving Ukraine alone with this problem... The catastrophe has affected millions of people; thousands died and tens of thousands continue to suffer," Yanukovych said at the conference in Kiev.

At least 30 people were killed in the immediate aftermath of the explosion at its Number Four reactor - though others died later from radiation-related sicknesses such as cancer. The number has been fiercely debated.

The conference, and a summit on nuclear power being held afterwards, coincide with preparations for the 25th anniversary of the accident next week. It has been planned for years, but has gained new impetus with the continuing emergency at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

Ukraine's government, along with the European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is building a gigantic new shell to cover Chernobyl's exploded reactor and the existing steel sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was hastily built around the reactor just after the accident in 1986 to contain the radiation and is now nearing the end of its life.

The new structure will be the largest of its kind in the world - an arch more than 100 meters high, 250 meters wide and 160 meters long.

It will be assembled away from the Chernobyl site and then slid into place over the damaged reactor, before the ends are blocked up. It is expected to give Ukraine 100 years to dispose of the nuclear waste.

The European Commission alone is contributing EUR 110 M to the new Chernobyl sarcophagus.

The Chernobyl 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. Units 1, 2 and 3 were put back into operation, raising the fear of another accident.

Further to the collapse of ex-USSR, the G7 countries and European Commission took the lead in providing assistance to mitigate the consequences of the accident. In 1995 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the G7, the Commission and Ukraine on the closure of Chernobyl by the year 2000 reflected this commitment.

Since then, the Commission has played a major role in the implementation of the MoU through TACIS and, more recently, through the INSC programme (Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation).

So far the Commission has contributed some EUR 470 million to Chernobyl-related projects, mainly for nuclear safety, but also to improve the living conditions of the local population and to reinforce research programmes. The contributions from EU Member States amount to EUR 452 million.

The international community estimates that the New Safe Confinement requires further investment of ?600m and the Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility 2 – EUR 140 million by 2015.

The pledging conference that takes place on 19 April 2011 in Kiev aims at mobilizing international donors' community to bridge the gap required to finalize the projects in Chernobyl.

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