The UK is marking the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster by contributing to a fund to ensure the permanent safety of the site.
The worst nuclear disaster in history occurred on 26 April 1986, when a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Since then, the international community has been working with the state to repair the damage caused by the accident and convert Chernobyl into a safe and secure site.
Two major technical tasks remain: to make the destroyed reactor 4 unit environmentally safe; and to safely and securely store the spent nuclear fuel from reactors 1 to 3.
As part of the G8’s commitment to the safety of the Ukraine site, the UK has donated £28.5m as part of the latest round of funding pledges. Adding to previous UK contributions of more than €81m, the new donation will go towards the construction of a 257m-wide and 105m-high steel arch over the damaged fourth reactor, and a facility to safely store the spent nuclear fuel from the other reactors.
The funds will help convert the site, and the increasingly unstable structure entombing the fourth reactor, into a safe and secure condition, thereby preventing the further release of radioactive material into the environment.
Representing the UK at meeting in Kyiv of delegations from around the world, energy minister Charles Hendry said: “The disaster at Chernobyl had a profound effect on the Ukrainian people, their neighbours and their environment, and on the world.
“Many countries, including the UK, were affected by the radioactive material from the Chernobyl disaster. As a result, governments across the world continue to work vigorously to ensure the utmost standards of safety.
“The funding we are pledging today will go some way to international efforts to ensure the permanent safety and stability of the Chernobyl site, to prevent it from posing any further hazard to health and the environment.”
More details on the pledges can be found at the Chernobyl Shelter Fund website.
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The worst nuclear disaster in history occurred on 26 April 1986, when a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Since then, the international community has been working with the state to repair the damage caused by the accident and convert Chernobyl into a safe and secure site.