Bombed Chornobyl shelter no longer blocks radiation and needs major repair – IAEA | Ukraine

The protective shield of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine, hit by a drone in February, can no longer fulfill its main function of blocking radiation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced.

In February, a drone strike blew a hole in the “new safety containment,” which was painstakingly constructed at a cost of 1.5 billion euros ($1.75 billion) next to the destroyed reactor and then lifted into place on rails, with work completed in 2019 by a European-led initiative. The IAEA said an inspection last week of the steel containment structure found that the drone impact had degraded the structure.

The Chernobyl explosion in 1986 – which occurred when Ukraine was under Moscow’s rule and part of the Soviet Union – sent radiation across Europe. In the fight to contain the meltdown, the Soviets built a concrete “sarcophagus” on top of the reactor with a lifespan of only 30 years. The new containment was built to contain radiation during the decades of final removal of the sarcophagus, the ruined reactor building beneath it, and the melted nuclear fuel itself.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said an inspection mission “confirmed that the [protective structure] had lost its primary safety functions, including containment capacity, but also found that there was no permanent damage to its supporting structures or monitoring systems.

Grossi said some repairs had been made “but complete restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear security.”

The UN reported on February 14 that Ukrainian authorities said a drone equipped with an explosive warhead hit the plant, caused a fire and damaged the protective coating around the reactor. Ukrainian authorities said the drone was Russian. Moscow has denied attacking the factory.

Radiation levels remained normal and stable and no radiation leaks were reported, the UN said in February.

Russia occupied the factory and surrounding area for more than a month during the first weeks of its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as its forces initially tried to advance on the Ukrainian capital, kyiv.

The IAEA carried out the inspection at the same time as a nationwide investigation into damage to power substations caused by the war between Ukraine and Russia.

With Reuters