EBRD contributes €135 million to international Chernobyl support efforts

The EBRD today agreed to a donation of €135 million to support international efforts to clean up the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the scene in 1986 of the world’s worst civilian nuclear power disaster. The EBRD contribution is a further step in the efforts by the international community to make the Chernobyl site safe. 

In September 2007, two key contracts were signed to progress this work, using funds that are managed by the EBRD.

One contract is for the construction of the New Safe Confinement, a structure that will be built over Chernobyl’s reactor 4. The second contract is for the completion of the Interim Storage Facility 2, a project to deal with spent fuel from reactors 1-3.

The EBRD grant is seen as a catalyst that will give additional momentum to the Chernobyl funding from donor countries.

At their 2007 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, G8 countries reaffirmed their commitments to making Chernobyl safe. But a funding gap still remains.

Preparatory work for the New Safe Confinement is progressing and a contract for site clearance and excavation works has recently been awarded. These preparations are a prerequisite for the eventual construction of the foundations for the confinement.

Contractors are currently working on the design and the technical details of both the News Safe Confinement and the storage facility. Final designs are scheduled to be submitted to the Ukrainian regulator in spring 2009.

The New Safe Confinement will eventually cover the present shelter which was built after the 1986 accident and which is deteriorating. Substantial stabilisation measures - funded by the Chernobyl Shelter Fund – however have reduced the risk of collapse considerably.

The New Safe Confinement will be assembled on the site and eventually be slid over the reactor on rails. It will be a the largest such project in the history of engineering with 257 metres (840 feet) across, 105 metres (345 feet) high, and 150 metres (490 feet) in length. The structure will have a lifespan of 100 years and will be equipped with cranes for possible later deconstruction.

The structure The New Safe Confinement is funded through the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, while the Interim Storage Facility 2 is financed by the Nuclear Safety Account. Both funds are administered and managed by the EBRD, which currently manages a total of 6 nuclear safety and decommissioning funds.

The following countries are contributors to the Chernobyl Shelter Fund: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, European Community, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Donations have been made by Iceland, Israel, Korea, Portugal, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.

The Nuclear Safety Account has received contributions from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, European Community, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Press contact:
Axel Reiserer, Tel: +44 20 7338 7753; E-mail: reiserea@ebrd.com