Contract Signed for Construction of Chernobyl's New Safe Confinement
Monday, September 17, 2007 -- a day that will be remembered for Ukraine's announcement that they have finally signed a contract for the construction of the New Safe Confinement that will cover damaged Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant.
The French firm Novarka will build the new structure at a cost of $1.4 billion. The project will take five years to complete. It will be constructed of steel, and stand 190 meters (623 feet) tall and 200 meters long.
A separate contract was also signed with U.S. firm Holtec to build a storage facility within the Exclusion Zone for the storage of the Chernobyl Plant's nuclear waste.
The funds for both projects is coming from international donors, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will administer the fund.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko proclaimed, "Today is probably the first time that we can openly look into the eyes of the national and international community and say that a solution to the problem that has long been called the Chernobyl problem was formally found."
It's about time this deal was finally completed. The original Sarcophagus is already one full year beyond its life-expectancy. Much work has been done to stabilize the old structure, and that will probably continue over the next five years.
Hopefully they can keep the Sarcophagus from collapsing while the New Safe Confinement is being built. That could be a tall order, but I'm sure they'll do everything they can to make sure that doesn't happen.
This really is a day to celebrate - let's hope the next five years go by quickly so a more solid structure can finally cover the reactor's deadly remains.
