A structure designed to prevent radioactive leakage at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine is no longer operational after Russian drones targeted it earlier this year
A structure built to stop radioactive leakage at the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine has been deemed non-operational after being targeted by Russian drones. The findings come from the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
The confinement facility “lost its primary safety functions” after the strike in February, Politico reports. It was built as part of a €1.5 billion Europe-led initiative in 2019 to replace the reactor destroyed in the plant’s 1986 meltdown, in which over 30 people died.
A new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency revealed the large steel structure “lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability” when its outer cladding was set ablaze.
“Limited temporary repairs have been carried out on the roof, but timely and comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is set to provide additional funding for repairs next year.
“The IAEA – which has a team permanently at the site – will continue to do everything it can to support efforts to fully restore nuclear safety and security at the Chornobyl site,” Director General Grossi said.
The statement adds: “As part of the comprehensive programme of assistance, the Agency arranged three new deliveries of equipment and supplies to Ukraine, bringing the total to 188 since the start of the conflict.
“The medical unit at the Chornobyl NPP site received medications and the Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management received various personal protective equipment.
The deliveries were supported with funds from the European Union and the United Kingdom.
“With these deliveries the total value of the equipment and supplies, needed for nuclear safety and security, that reached Ukraine since the start of the armed conflict exceeds 21 million euros.”
The news comes after we reported how scientists continue to investigate a group of unusual black fungi found inside the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where research suggests they have adapted to grow toward radioactive particles and may even be using ionizing radiation as an energy source.
The discovery has raised new questions about how life evolves under extreme conditions and whether these organisms could one day help protect astronauts in deep space.
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