29 Nov (NucNet): The installation of critical cranage, ventilation and control systems is nearing completion at the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement (NSC) and the final stages of sealing the confinement of the old structure are under way, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on 29 November 2017. The EBRD announced the latest progress one year after the NSC was moved into its final position at the Chernobyl site in Ukraine. The EBRD manages the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and is the largest contributor to the NSC project. The EBRD said today that to date it has provided €715m ($846m) of its own resources to support Chernobyl projects including the NSC. The NSC is 108 metres high and 162 metres long, and has a span of 257 metres and a minimum lifetime of 100 years. The arch-shaped structure weighs some 36,000 tonnes. Its frame is a huge lattice construction of tubular steel members, supported by two longitudinal concrete beams. It provides a safe working environment for the future dismantling of the old shelter and for waste management. The EBRD said extensive testing is already under way before the structure will be commissioned and handed over to the management of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP). A technology building will serve as the command centre of the NSC from which day-to-day operations of the structure as well as future decommissioning works will be guided. The crane system, which has been installed just below the ceiling of the NSC, will play a crucial role in this work. With a bridge length longer than a Boeing 777 and a lifting capacity of up to 50 tonnes, the fully automated system will allow for the future dismantling of Unit 4 in a hermetically sealed environment. The NSC is part of the Shelter Implementation Plan to transform Chernobyl into an environmentally safe and secure environment. It is expected to cost €2.1bn and is funded by contributions from more than 40 countries and organisations.
