Name of the Project
Chernobyl nuclear reactor 4 new safe confinement (NSC) structure project.
Location
Ukraine.
Project Owner/s
Chernobyl Shelter Fund, which is being managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Project Description
The NSC is the largest structure erected on a contaminated site.
The NSC forms part of the Chernobyl shelter implementation plan (SIP), which provides a step-by-step strategy for making the site of the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor 4 disaster an environmentally safe and secure site.
The structure is 105 m high, 165 m long, spans 256 m and weighs more than 40 000 t. Its frame is a lattice construction of tubular steel members built on two longitudinal concrete beams and will slide over the current shelter housing Reactor 4.
The NSC will be equipped with automated heavy-duty cranes. The structure will prevent the intrusion of water and snow, and provide equipment for the eventual deconstruction and dismantling of the old shelter and remnants of the damaged reactor.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Capital Expenditure
The cost of the entire Chernobyl SIP, of which the NSC is the most prominent project, is estimated at about €2.15-billion, based on a thorough and complete analysis of the final approved design of the NSC, and the current advanced status of the design and installation of its auxiliary systems.
Planned Start/End Date
Construction on the NSC started with excavation works in late 2010. The sports-stadium-sized arch was slid over the damaged reactor in 2016. The critical test that signifies the completion of the decades-long effort was completed in April.
Latest Developments
The massive containment arch is now complete.
The arch will protect the environment from further releases of radioactive materials, and protect the damaged reactor from weather, tornado and seismic events.
Since 2016, crews have added walls to both ends of the arch and installed equipment allow for the future dismantling of the damaged building and reactor using remote-operated cranes and tools.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
Bechtel (project management) and Novarka joint venture, comprising Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Bouygues Travaux Publics (NCS construction).
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Nuclear Safety Department of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, tel +44 20 7338 7195, fax +44 20 7338 7175 or email nuclearsafety@ebrd.com.
Vinci Construction Grands Projets, tel +33 1 47 16 39 00 or fax +33 1 47 51 46 26.
Bouygues Travaux Publics press, tel +33 1 3060 5868 or fax +33 1 3060 2091.