The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was covered with a new sarcophagus. Chernobyl was covered with a century-old sarcophagus

On April 26, 1986, a reactor exploded in the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR. More than half a million people were involved in the liquidation of the accident. Many of them seriously undermined their health due to irradiation, some died already in the first months after the start of work.

In terms of economic damage, the number of dead and injured, the accident is regarded as the largest in the nuclear industry.

The idea to close the ruptured reactor vent arose almost immediately after the explosion. Already by November 1986, a "Shelter", better known as a "sarcophagus", was erected over the fourth power unit. The installation work was supervised by the Soviet engineer Vladimir Rudakov. Like many other liquidators, he soon died from the effects of radioactive exposure.

The old sarcophagus was, in fact, a large concrete box (it took 400 thousand cubic meters of concrete mix and 7 thousand tons of metal structures to build it). Erected in a hurry, it nevertheless held back the further spread of radiation from the reactor for 30 years. However, its ceilings and walls were already dilapidated and began to collapse: for example, in 2013 hinged slabs with an area of ​​600 square meters collapsed. m above the engine room. According to the authorities, however, this did not lead to an increase in the radiation background. But

under the ceilings of the sarcophagus there are about 200 tons of radioactive materials, and further destruction can lead to serious consequences.

The first sarcophagus has another serious drawback: its design does not allow working with radioactive waste accumulated inside. But until the entire filling of the exploded reactor is removed and disposed of, this object will remain dangerous. In addition, the sarcophagus had to be protected from rain and snow, which could cause unforeseen chemical reactions.

The construction of the second sarcophagus began in 2007. It was planned that it would be a movable arch that would cover the reactor along with the old sarcophagus, after which it would be possible to dismantle, decontaminate and bury the remains of the power unit. The project was originally intended to be completed by 2012/13, but the deadline was pushed back due to financial problems.

The new sarcophagus, called the "New Safe Confinement" (from the English. confinement- "restriction"), became the largest ground mobile structure.

Money for the project was allocated by Ukraine, Russia and a number of Western countries. In total, more than $2 billion was spent on the construction. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development supervised the work, and the French company VINCI Construction Grand Projects, part of the Bouygues group of companies, one of the largest construction companies in Europe, became the technical contractor. On account of Bouygues - the construction of a tunnel under the English Channel, the construction of terminal No. 2 of the Charles de Gaulle airport, the reconstruction of the Main building of Moscow State University in Moscow and many more projects.

The service life of the new "Shelter" is estimated at 100 years. Its length is 165 m, height - 110, width - 257. The structure weighs 36.2 thousand tons. About 3 thousand workers were involved in the construction. Since it was dangerous to build an arch directly over the old sarcophagus, it was built in parts at an assembly site near the power plant. The assembly and lifting of the elements of the first half of the arch lasted from 2012 to 2014, by 2015 the second half was also assembled. After that, both parts were combined into a single structure. By November 2016, the installation was fully completed.

On November 14, the process of sliding the arch onto the power unit began. For several days, the arch was slowly moved with the help of jacks along special rails. Finally, on November 29, the thrust was successfully completed. On this occasion, the authorities held ceremonial events with the participation of politicians and representatives of the curator bank.

“Let everyone see today what Ukraine and the world can do, united, how we can protect the world from nuclear pollution and nuclear waste,”

- said the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at the ceremony.

During the construction, the workers encountered certain difficulties. In particular, they had to dismantle the ventilation pipe, through which air was supplied to the buildings of the third and fourth power units. The pipe was damaged during the explosion of the reactor and could have collapsed on the roof of the sarcophagus at any moment.

For dismantling, it was necessary to use a special super-heavy German crane with a lifting capacity of 1.6 thousand tons. The pipe was successfully sawn into six fragments, dismantled and buried in the building of the 3rd power unit. Almost $12 million had to be spent on these actions.

The new sarcophagus is planned to be put into operation in a year, by November 2017. During this time, the equipment will be connected and tested, the structure will be sealed and transferred under the control of the Chernobyl administration.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986 was the largest man-made disaster in history.

The installation of a new protective structure has been completed at the damaged fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

"Chernobyl Reactor 4 has now been safely shut down 30 years after the 1986 disaster in an amazing feat of engineering," the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which funded the structure, said in a statement.

The structure of steel and concrete in the form of an aircraft hangar, 165 meters long and 110 meters high, weighs about 36,000 tons. 1.63 billion euros were spent on the construction of the shelter.

Construction of the facility began in April 2012. The French companies Bouygues and Vinci completed the preliminary assembly of the arched sarcophagus for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the fall of 2015.

Due to the large size of its arch, and then connect them.

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The body of the arch is covered with a special sheathing that protects the old sarcophagus from external influences. Also, special cladding should protect the environment and the local population from possible emissions of pollutants.

The construction was planned to be completed in 2015. However, due to lack of funds, the completion of work was postponed for more late deadline. As planned, the entire facility will be commissioned by November 2017. The estimated service life of the structure is 100 years.

The first concrete sarcophagus - the "Shelter" object - was built over the emergency power unit shortly after the explosion, but in recent years the structure began to collapse. Inside the installed arch there is a crane for dismantling the existing Shelter.

The explosion at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred on April 26, 1986. It became the largest man-made disaster in world history.

Due to the destruction of the reactor core, more than 200 thousand square kilometers were exposed to radioactive contamination, mainly in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

More than half a million people participated in the liquidation of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in subsequent years - many of them received serious illnesses caused by exposure, about 5 thousand "liquidators" died within 20 years.

The consortium of French construction companies "Novarka" on Tuesday, November 29, completed the process of installing a new safe confinement (NSC) - an arch-sarcophagus that should protect the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, destroyed during the disaster in 1986. According to Interfax, according to the project, the service life of this facility is designed for 100 years and cost 1.5 billion euros.

"We welcome the completion of this phase of the Chernobyl transformation as a symbol of what we are able to achieve together through strong, determined and long-term efforts. We applaud our Ukrainian partners and contractor, and also thank all donors to the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, whose contributions made today's success possible This spirit of cooperation gives us confidence that the project will be completed on time and within budget in one year,” President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Suma Chakrabarti said at the ceremony, quoted by RIA Novosti.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was also not left out of work, saying that the "Russian threat" was worse than the Chernobyl disaster. "No one could have imagined that the Chernobyl test would not be the worst and not the most terrible that Ukraine would have to endure. And that Ukraine is building an arch and a safe confinement in a war, when it is defending itself from Russian aggression," Poroshenko said.

The construction of the new sarcophagus is financed by a special fund managed by the EBRD on behalf of international donors, the largest of which is the European Union, which has allocated 750 million euros to Chernobyl projects so far.

Today at solemn event attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini, EC Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, EC Member for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, EC Member for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica and EC Member for Climate and Energy Miguel Arias Canete.

It is reported that all NSC systems are planned to be tested until November 2017, after which the arch will be put into operation. Next, Ukraine will have to dismantle unstable structures and extract fuel-containing materials in order to turn the nuclear plant into an environmentally friendly facility.

However, today the Minister of Ecology and natural resources Independent Ostap Semerak told reporters that Kyiv would ask international partners to assist in dismantling the damaged power unit. "I would like to say that we expect technical support, scientific support, technical support in disassembly fourth power unit", - he said, noting that it would be difficult for Ukraine to cope with such a task on its own.

In the fall of 2015, Bouygues and Vinci, members of the consortium, completed the preliminary assembly of the arched sarcophagus, then it was dismantled and delivered to the station, where it was reassembled in a clean area near the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and, using a special system, "pushed" onto the object.

According to Bouygues, the arch is larger than the Stade de France in Paris, weighing five times that of the Eiffel Tower. The height of the new sarcophagus reaches the level of a 30-story building - 110 m, the length of the structure is 165 m, and the weight is 36.2 thousand tons.

The body of the arch will be covered with a special sheathing, which will protect the old sarcophagus from external influences and serve as protection for environment and the population. The building will also be equipped with a high-tech ventilation system and a temperature and humidity control system.

Recall that on April 26, 1986, the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. During the first three months after the accident, about 30 people died. Nearly 8.4 million residents of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were exposed to radioactive irradiation. Around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the so-called 30-kilometer exclusion zone was created, from which two cities - Pripyat and Chernobyl, as well as 74 villages were completely evacuated.

The first sarcophagus ("Shelter") over the emergency power unit was erected shortly after the explosion, but in recent years the structure has begun to collapse.

30 years after Chernobyl disaster In 1986, the fourth power unit of the nuclear power plant was covered with a new protective sarcophagus. This was announced on Tuesday, November 29, by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which financed the development of the shelter, on Twitter.

The huge arch weighs 25 thousand tons, it is as long as two football fields, and one high. The arch, or scientifically "new safe confinement", was erected for almost 10 years. The project began to be prepared in 2007, and in 2010 the first crane arrived in the exclusion zone. The construction was carried out with the money of donor countries from the G8, from where Russia was expelled during the Ukrainian conflict. But we continue to allocate money: 50 million euros over 10 years, as they said in the Ministry of Finance.

Financial flows are accumulated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He pours in his own money. In total, the new sarcophagus cost one and a half billion euros. Europeans are also building it: the construction giants from France, Vinci and Bouygues, have united in the Novarka consortium. The former built the Stade de France Atomic Stadium in Paris, the latter built the Channel Tunnel. A small detail linking companies with Russia. Vinci, together with Arkady Rotenberg, is building the Moscow-Petersburg highway, and the former president of Bouygues, Martin Bouygues, was on the board of directors of the Skolkovo Foundation.

Now about the main thing - about the sarcophagus itself. For six years, the builders erected two halves of the arch from concrete and steel, then dozens of jacks raised them to the desired height of 108 meters. Then they were connected, and everything is thought out to the smallest detail. For example, the front walls repeat the silhouette of the quadruple block of the power plant - not the most accurate, there will be gaps, but they will be covered with membranes within a few months. All this is done at a safe distance from the block. Until the end of November, a multi-ton structure was rolled along the rails in small steps on the same jacks at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour.

The fact that the builders did not receive radiation is a kind of engineering miracle. It was the fear of radiation that did not allow the construction of the first sarcophagus by hand, so they used cranes and literally threw concrete slabs on the fourth block. The result - three years ago it collapsed, the reactor is still boiling.

Here is another example of the subtlety of work: initially, the installation of the new "Shelter" was prevented by the power unit's pipe. Its tip was removed using the world's largest crane - it was driven from Germany. There will also be cranes inside the arch itself - in the future they will, as they say, rake up nuclear debris. In April of this year, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko legally made the exclusion zone a biosphere test site - that is, in fact, a reserve. True, it is unlikely that it will ever be possible to live there again.

But the new shelter has its critics. The chief engineer of the Chernobyl plant, Nikolai Karpan, said that all this was not enough. He passed away on September 2.