A giant containment arch is being moved into place over Chernobyl's damaged reactor

Record ID: 78682

  • Title: A giant containment arch is being moved into place over Chernobyl's damaged reactor
  • Date: 16th November 2016
  • Summary: CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, UKRAINE (FILE - MARCH 23, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF THE FOURTH REACTOR OF CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SIGN READING (Russian/English): 'WORK EXECUTION AREA FOR ARCH ASSEMBLY' VARIOUS OF WORK IN PROGRESS IN ASSEMBLY AREA REACTOR NUMBER 4 SEEN THROUGH NEW ARCH CONFINEMENT MEN WORKING ON ELEVATING PLATFORMS VARIOUS VIEWS OF ARCH
  • Embargoed: 1st December 2016 10:33
  • Keywords: Ukraine Chernobyl confinement sarcophagus radiation disaster
  • Location: CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE
  • City: CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA00258P18W7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3 / BLACK AND WHITE VIDEO
    The move of more than 30,000 tonnes 'New Safe Confinement' arch began to cover Chernobyl's damaged fourth reactor and to prevent deadly radiation spewing from the nuclear disaster site for the next 100 years.
    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has managed the funding of the arch, which has cost around 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) to build and involved donations from more than 40 governments.
    "Movement of the arch over the fourth energy reactor is a historic event. Accomplishment of the measures related to the improvement of environmental and nuclear security became possible thanks to the international support, thanks to Ukrainian specialists who built this without exaggeration unique facility," said Ukraine's Ecology Minister Ostap Semerak.
    On April 26, 1986, a botched test at the Soviet nuclear plant sent clouds of smouldering nuclear material across large swathes of Europe, forced over 50,000 people to evacuate and poisoned unknown numbers of workers involved in its clean-up.
    A concrete sarcophagus was hastily built over the site of the badly damaged reactor to contain the worst of the radiation, but a more permanent solution has been in the works since late 2010.
    The 'New Safe Confinement' arch is designed to create a steel-clad casement to block radiation and allow the remains of the reactor to be dismantled safely. It is about 110 meters high, 165 meters long and 260 meters wide.
    The move of the sliding arch which is as high as the Statue of Liberty in the US, began on Monday (November 14) and is expected to be completed on Friday (November 18). During this period it will cover the distance of some 300 meters.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register