"The IAEA director general, Rafael Grossi, said an inspection mission confirmed that the [protective structure] had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability, but also found that there was no permanent damage to its load-bearing structures or monitoring systems. Grossi said some repairs had been carried out but comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety."
"The 1986 Chornobyl explosion which happened when Ukraine was under Moscow's rule as part of the Soviet Union sent radiation across Europe. In the scramble to contain the meltdown, the Soviets built over the reactor a concrete sarcophagus with only a 30-year lifespan. The new confinement was built to contain radiation during the decades-long final removal of the sarcophagus, ruined reactor building underneath it and the melted-down nuclear fuel itself."
The Chornobyl New Safe Confinement suffered a hole from a February drone strike that degraded its ability to confine radiation. The structure cost 1.5bn ($1.75bn) and was completed and slid into place over reactor 4 in 2019. The IAEA inspection found loss of primary safety functions, including confinement capability, while noting no permanent damage to load-bearing structures or monitoring systems. Some repairs have been carried out, but comprehensive restoration is essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety. The confinement was built to enable decades-long removal of the concrete sarcophagus, ruined reactor building, and melted nuclear fuel.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]