Ukraine inks 30M euro pact for Chornobyl confinement
Chornobyl NPP (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Ukraine signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on 30M euros ($35M) allocation for the first stage of Chornobyl NPP confinement restoration, Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on April 26.
The first stage of restoration involves assessing the damage to the confinement and developing design solutions, which will allow the necessary work to begin and equipment to be purchased in advance, he explained.
"Partners have also made initial commitments amounting to almost 100M euros ($117M)," Shmyhal emphasized.
"These funds will be directed toward restoring the safe confinement at the Chornobyl NPP and increasing nuclear safety in Ukraine."
The cost of restoring and strengthening the confinement's safety after the Russian drone strike is estimated at around 500 million euros ($585M), the minister emphasized.
A Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead damaged the roof of the sarcophagus protecting the destroyed fourth reactor of the Chornobyl NPP on the night of Feb. 14, 2025. A fire broke out there.
The New Safe Confinement (NSC) arch lost its full internal sealing properties as a result of the Russian drone hit, but the protective shell continues to partially perform its key role — the ecological isolation of the destroyed reactor from the environment, Chornobyl NPP General Director Serhii Tarakanov stated.
Russia will be held accountable for the strike on the Chornobyl nuclear power plant's shelter, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis stated during the International Chornobyl Conference on Recovery and Nuclear Safety on April 26.
The shelter at the Chornobyl NPP needs urgent repair, and the EU will play its part in this, he noted.
The European Union has allocated over 1 billion euros ($1.1B) for nuclear safety in Ukraine since 1991, the European commissioner also noted. In particular, the EU financed over a quarter of the cost of building the new safe confinement for the Chornobyl NPP.
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