Chernobyl protective shield can no longer confine radiation after drone strike
5 days ago
- #IAEA
- #Chernobyl
- #Nuclear Safety
- The Chernobyl New Safe Confinement (NSC) lost its safety functions due to a drone strike in February 2024.
- Ukraine accused Russia of the strike, which Russia denied.
- The IAEA recommends major renovations to the NSC to ensure long-term nuclear safety.
- No permanent damage was reported to the NSC's load-bearing structures or monitoring systems.
- Russian forces previously seized Chernobyl in early 2022, holding staff hostage before withdrawing.
- The NSC is a massive steel structure designed to last 100 years, completed in 2019.
- The NSC project cost €2.1 billion, funded by over 45 donor countries and organizations.
- The 1986 Chernobyl disaster spread radioactivity across Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, causing long-term health effects.