New Chernobyl Contract to Clear Area for NSC

Another contract was signed on April 3 by the administration of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station. This contract with the Ukrainian company Yutem («ЮТЭМ») is to perform additional on site work in preparation for construction of the New Safe Confinement (NSC).  The Chief Engineer of this project (POM) is Andrey Savin.

This aim of this venture is to remove all above-ground structures that currently exist within the area that will be affected by NSC construction. Any foundation structures located at the southern and northern extent of the current Sarcophagus will also be removed. Included in this effort will be the removal of the foundation used for the installation and support of the crane used to build the original Sarcophagus in 1986-1987.

Approximately 30 thousand cubic meters of reinforced concrete are expected to be cleared away. If workers encounter any highly radioactive materials during the course of this work, extraction, transport and disposal will be handled by the appropriate divisions of the Chernobyl AES.

Physical work for clearing the area is scheduled to begin in September 2008, with the digging of NSC foundation areas to start in November. All work under this contract is expected to be complete by the end of 2009.