A new sarcophagus will be built to seal nearly 200 tons of nuclear fuel rods into the melted remains of the destroyed reactor and that "sit" on existing protective structure. But the construction could be halted if donors fail to provide funds. In the control room of the destroyed reactor No. 4 is all confusion. Dusty and dark, the semicircular wall panel stands silent. The fact that to be here with you wear white protective suits, masks, and you'd Arm counters for radiation, only adds to the feeling that this place is a real monument to the memory of the terrible events of April 26, 1986.
"It 's scary, there's no question ... here are the ghosts of the past. One can not help but understand when you come to places like these how important it is to do things safely. The consequences of not to want to do might go beyond our imagination " says Laurin Dodd, general manager of the project for the implementation of " New Shelter " of Chernobyl. In the weeks
following the explosion, thousands of people risked their lives for the construction of the sarcophagus at Reactor No. 4. Only ever intended to be "temporary" , today this ramshackle arrangement of concrete walls and corrugated metal panels, held together by scaffolding.
"This is a special scaffolding that holds up the west wall of reactor. After the accident, the west wall of the reactor was cracked out and it was feared that he could deliver nearly 200 tons of radioactive fuel, which are still here inside, the atmosphere " said Dodd.
L’area vicino alla parete ovest del reattore è ormai un cantiere. Simile ad un arco gigantesco, abbastanza grande da contenere la Cattedrale di St.Paul, il nuovo sarcofago verrà costruito a distanza dal reattore e poi fatto scivolar sopra attraverso dei binari.
Simon Evans della Banca Europea per la Ricostruzione e lo Sviluppo (BERS) sta supervisionando il progetto: “Più ci si avvicina al sarcofago, più i livelli di radiazione sono più alti, così le difficoltà di costruire qualcosa sul sito si moltiplicano. Quindi se si può lavorare il più lontano possibile sarebbe più facile” .
Il costo totale di questo ambizioso progetto è of 1.6 billion euro, but despite the promises of the G8, there are still 740 million euros to cover the costs. E 'be noted that the largest contributions come primarily from Europe and Russia from the tenth position, where the reactor was built in Soviet times.
The President of the EBRD, Thomas Mirow , admitted that this is a difficult time for the fundraiser, but said that donor countries should "think beyond" the current economic climate.
"This is an exceptional case. I think all the main actors of the international community should be involved to be able to find the money ", he said.
The bank will use the 25th anniversary of the disaster to make a last effort in collecting the necessary funds to build a new sarcophagus. But even with the rector of the same insured, we must not forget that the areas surrounding Chernobyl will remain contaminated for thousands of years.
Source: bbc.co.uk , February 2, 2011; Translation: Project Humus
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