Steel structure, insulating Site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday it had suffered so much damage that it could no longer effectively contain radiation.
The agency, or IAEA, wrote in a statement that its team had visited the containment shield the previous week and found that it had “lost its essential safety functions, including its containment capability.”
The shield is known as the New Safe Confinement, or NSC, which was installed in 2016 as a second protective layer to stop the spread of radioactive material from Chernobyl's fourth reactor. power plant.
Screen damage increases the risk of leaks, which are difficult to contain because radioactive materials such as gas and dust can easily disperse widely and remain hazardous for long periods of time.
The NSC completely surrounds the original, smaller concrete structure called the Sarcophagus, built by the Soviet Union after the 1986 explosion of reactor four caused a nuclear crisis in continental Europe.
The NSC, which cost $1.75 billion to install, was urgently needed because the sarcophagus had an expected lifespan of 30 years and was not airtight, allowing radioactive dirt and gas to escape.
Now the IAEA said its team had confirmed the NSC was unable to do its job after it was “severely damaged” by a drone strike in February.
The strike, which Ukraine says was caused drone owned by Russiaset fire to the outer skin of the steel structure.
“Limited temporary repairs have been made to the roof, but timely and comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The February drone strike left a hole roughly 160 square feet in the shield, which is shaped like a huge aircraft hangar. At its highest point, the shield is about 360 feet above the ground.
The fire caused by the impact lasted for weeks and the structure's main crane was damaged, the IAEA said earlier this year.
The IAEA reported that in the months following the impact, approximately 330 holes were created in the outer lining of the NSC during emergency efforts to extinguish the resulting fire.
The new secure confinement houses the exploded reactor No. 4 and the Sarcophagus, the original shelter built by the Soviet Union. Vladimir Tarasov/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Authorities were initially concerned that radioactive dust around the shield could be released if explosives in the shelter were detonated. No radiation leaks were reported, authorities said at the time.
However, the latest IAEA findings now show that long-term damage to the NSC may be greater than initially thought. However, the agency added that it found no risk to the shelter's supporting structures or monitoring systems.
The nuclear safety watchdog has called for a major overhaul and upgrade of the shield, including moisture control measures and an improved corrosion monitoring program.
After the February drone strike, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of deliberately attacking the site of the Chernobyl disaster, a claim the Kremlin denied.
Chernobyl exclusion zone It was originally captured by Russia in 2022 when its troops tried to break into Kyiv in the early months of the war.
Moscow later refused from the area, and Ukrainian authorities may resume work at the Chernobyl disaster site in April 2022.
