The arch-shaped New Safe Confinement structure built over the remains of Chernobyl's destroyed unit 4 suffered such extensive damage in a drone strike in February that it may not be possible to restore it to its full original design purposes and life-span of 100 years, a side event at the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference heard.
The giant New Safe Confinement shelter over the remains of Chernobyl's unit 4 was damaged by a drone in February with an initial EUR42.5 million (USD50 million) already pledged for repair work.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Slavutych City authorities have signed a memorandum of cooperation with the goal of developing local tourism as part of the post-war revival of the region.
Sampling is taking place across the Zhytomyr region after a research study suggested that thousands of hectares of farmland in the area outside the Chernobyl exclusion zone could safely return to agricultural use.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has outlined the scale of the damage caused by a drone strike and subsequent fires to the giant shelter built over the ruins of Chernobyl's unit 4.
The delegation, which included members of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's nuclear safety department, came a month after Chernobyl unit 4's giant shelter was damaged by a drone strike.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has said that work to tackle the smouldering fires in the insulation layers of Chernobyl's giant shelter has been completed, three weeks after it was struck by a drone. The International Atomic Energy Agency says radiation levels have remained at normal levels.
More than 400 people have been working in shifts since the damage was caused to the giant shelter structure covering the area of Chernobyl's unit 4. International Atomic Energy Agency experts report that radiation levels remain normal.
In an update on Thursday at 17:00 local time, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant operator said thermal imaging monitoring of the New Safe Confinement was continuing and parts of the exterior cut into "for the final elimination of smouldering areas".
