For weeks, the Ukrainian authorities have been trying to limit damage to the protective housing of Chernobyl’s inactive nuclear power plant. The lesions were caused in mid -February after a Russian drone attack on the new protective housing, the NSC (New Safe Confinement). Authorities took three weeks to extinguish the fire that broke out at the station.

According to Chrihori Issenko, head of the Ukrainian Service responsible for the nuclear station, an effort is being made to close a 15 sqm hole, as well as about 200 even smaller gaps in the protective housing. According to him, the station experts from various research institutes evaluate the situation of the housing.

The full extent of the damage is still unknown

To build the NSC, which was built above the previous housing, with the aim of further reducing the spread of radioactive radiation after the nuclear power plant in 1986, hundreds of millions of euros were spent and needed 10,000 people from 40 different countries. The project was completed in 2019, twelve years after the signing of the relevant contract.

At the moment, as Issenko says, the full extent of the damage caused by the Russian attack is not yet known – this is expected to happen after a full assessment of the situation. “Radiation levels are normal. Staff continues to work properly. Only the pressure regulation system no longer works and there is a slight increase in moisture in the atmosphere, which is the result of the blow and the pressure of pressure inside the enclosure, “Insenko explains.

What is the likelihood of radioactive leaks?

According to experts, the fall of pressure within the NSC is not an immediate threat – but that does not mean that there are no other risks.

It is currently impossible to rebuild the previous housing, built in 1986 after the explosion over the damaged parts of the station, as reported by Dmitro Houmeniuk from the state scientific technical center for Ukraine’s nuclear security.

After all, the NSC was built precisely because the previous housing had now been used – and there is concern that part of the inner housing could collapse at any time. If this is the case now that the NSC has suffered serious damage, large quantities of radioactive dust will be raised, resulting in a leak of radioactivity. “At the moment the protective housing cannot perform its operation, that is, completely limit the radioactivity at the station,” Houmeniuk adds. Experts point out that there is no reason for fear for residents.

How can the hole be closed?

“It will be impossible to repair the protective housing on the spot, because the radioactivity is intense and would also affect the workers. The protective housing had been built elsewhere and was transported by rails to the station to place over the older housing. But these rails are no longer there, so we have to find another solution, “Houmeniuk still points out. But whether there is an alternative, as well as how much the repairs will cost, it is unknown.

According to the website of the Nuclear Station, on March 18, Chernobyl visited representatives of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. They examined the technical specifications of the NSC, as well as the space under the protective housing, and spoke with the administration of the nuclear power plant. In the end, they concluded that 400,000 euros should be allocated to a group of experts, which will be allocated by the International Cooperation Fund for Chernobyl (ICCA).

Curated by: George Passas