Chernobyl New Safe Confinement
The New Safe Confinement (NSC or New Shelter, rarely Arka) is a structure put in place in 2016 to confine the remains of the number 4 reactor unit at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in Ukraine, which was destroyed during the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The structure also encloses the temporary Shelter Structure (sarcophagus) that was built around the reactor immediately after the disaster. The New Safe Confinement is designed to prevent the release of radioactive contaminants, protect the reactor from external influence, facilitate the disassembly and decommissioning of the reactor, and prevent water intrusion.
| Chernobyl New Safe Confinement | |
|---|---|
Новий чорнобильський саркофаг | |
The New Safe Confinement in its final position over the destroyed reactor 4 in October 2017 | |
Location of the NSC, near the abandoned
city of Pripyat, Ukraine | |
| Alternative names | New Shelter |
| General information | |
| Status | Operational |
| Type | Containment structure |
| Location | Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant |
| Town or city | Pripyat |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 51°23′21″N 30°05′36″E |
| Construction started | September 2010 |
| Completed | November 2016 |
| Cost | €2.1 billion |
| Client | Government of Ukraine |
| Height | 108 metres (354.3 ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Weight | 31000 t |
| Other dimensions | Span 260 metres (853.0 ft), external length 165 metres (541.3 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Arch-shaped lattice, clad with sandwich panels |
| Material | Steel, with polycarbonate inner panels |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | Novarka with 50/50 partners Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Bouygues Travaux Publics as well as Mammoet for conveyance |
| Website | |
| https://www.chnpp.gov.ua/en/ | |
The New Safe Confinement is a megaproject that is part of the Shelter Implementation Plan and supported by the Chernobyl Shelter Fund. It was designed with the primary goal of confining the radioactive remains of reactor 4 for the next 100 years. It also aims to allow for a partial demolition of the original sarcophagus, which was hastily constructed by Chernobyl liquidators after a beyond design-basis accident destroyed the reactor. The word confinement is used rather than the traditional containment to emphasize the difference between the containment of radioactive gases—the primary focus of most reactor containment buildings—and the confinement of solid radioactive waste, which is the primary purpose of the New Safe Confinement.
In 2015, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) stated that the international community was aiming to close a €100 million funding gap, with administration by the EBRD in its role as manager of the Chernobyl decommissioning funds. The total cost of the Shelter Implementation Plan, of which the New Safe Confinement is the most prominent element, is estimated to be around €2.15 billion (US$2.3 billion). The New Safe Confinement accounts for €1.5 billion.
The French consortium Novarka with partners Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Bouygues Travaux Publics designed and built the New Safe Confinement. Construction was completed at the end of 2018.