CHERNOBYL, 26 April (BelTA) – The construction of a safe confinement over the destroyed fourth unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was an important event for Europe. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement while talking to mass media after visiting the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 26 April, BelTA has learned.
Alexander Lukashenko said: “Indeed, the construction of the sarcophagus to shelter the destroyed fourth unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was a major event for all of us — Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Europe as a whole. It is a unique structure that has no equals today. Moreover, the fact that the shelter has been built with support of 40 nations represents an important symbol of international solidarity.”
In his words, the shelter will be able to confine radiation of the destroyed power-generating unit for at most 100 years. “It is quite some time if we measure it in human lives and it is not that much if we think about future generations. A huge amount of work has been done by your heroic people in the most polluted zone. This work represents an opportunity to accumulate a lot of experience fighting such phenomena,” remarked Alexander Lukashenko.
The head of state noted that every year he visits Belarusian villages in the radiation pollution zone at this time of the year. “And I see that people's attitudes are changing. They are now hopeful. They hope for revival and safe future of their native lands. People's faith in our working for their sake is the key result of our efforts,” stressed the Belarusian leader.
Alexander Lukashenko described 26 April 1986 as a day of sorrow for the entire world. “Today we pay a tribute of respect to the heroic deed committed by the Chernobyl cleanup workers. They were the first to stand up to the invisible enemy and, risking their lives, build the first sarcophagus over the destroyed fourth unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. I visited the power plant and saw that reactor two decades ago. I saw something different today,” he said.
The new shelter (aka the New Safe Confinement) is an arc-like structure that covers the fourth power-generating unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It is a multifunctional structure designed to convert the destroyed part of the nuclear power plant into an environmentally safe system. The shelter has 19 substructures, including a protective double-layer arc, a technological facility for decontaminating and packing radioactive materials, a ventilation system, backup power, fire extinguishers, water purification equipment, radiation and seismic control, and other auxiliary systems.
The arc is 257 meters wide and 160 meters long. It is 109 meters high. The arc is supposed to last for 70-100 years. In November 2016 the arc was moved to cover the old shelter. Equipment installation and systems check began then. The New Safe Confinement is expected to commission in November 2017.
