Chernobyl

Shelter implementation plan

The creation of the SIP was a culmination of efforts over the last ten years of 20th century by experts in Ukraine and in the international community to develop an acceptable economical and ecological approach to resolve the problems of the ChNPP Unit 4 Shelter.

In 1992 the tender for projects to convert the Shelter into and environmentally safe system was announced and became the first step to international cooperation. On 17 June 1993, the Jury accepted the Concept for the Conversion of the Shelter. The most critical condition for Object Shelter conversion is a construction of a new protective envelope or New Safe Confinement above the Shelter. The ‘Confinement’ is a protective facility enclosing Unit 4 that will also enclose a complex of processing equipment for removal of materials containing nuclear fuel from the Unit 4, the radioactive waste management and the other systems designed for execution of activities on conversion of the Unit 4 into and environmentally safe system. The Safe Confinement represents a multi-functional facility with a 100 year lifetime which will allow future removal of fuel containing materials and their conditioning for the subsequent safe storage. The NSC conceptual design was developed by the Consortium comprised of US and French companies with engagement of the Ukrainian industrial company and research institutions. The design was reviewed during the public hearings held in Slavutych in March 2004.