At least €500 million needed to restore safety at ChNPP after Russia's strike – EBRD
Kyiv • UNN
EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso stated the need for international funding of up to €500 million to repair the damaged confinement at ChNPP following a Russian drone attack. The attack threatens radiation safety and dismantling.
President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso has stated the need for urgent international funding to repair the damage to the new safe confinement at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant following a Russian drone attack. It involves at least €500 million, reports UNN citing the EBRD.
Russia's strike has put the Chornobyl NPP protection system at risk
The EBRD recalled that in February last year, a Russian drone struck the protective arch over the destroyed Unit 4 reactor at Chornobyl NPP, causing a fire inside the structure.
According to the bank's assessment, the attack significantly damaged two key functions of the facility – containment of radiation risks and ensuring the long-term dismantling of hazardous structures.
Important systems designed to guarantee the facility's operation for 100 years have also failed. Without repairs, there is a risk of further deterioration and corrosion of the steel structure.
EBRD calls on the world to help
"I urge the international community to step up and help restore nuclear safety to the level that existed before this reckless attack," stated EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso.
According to her, the scale of the challenge is significant, but international partners already have experience of joint work at the Chornobyl site.
"If we once again act in the spirit of cooperation, Chornobyl will become a symbol not only of tragedy, but also of responsibility, resilience, and hope," she emphasized.
What the EBRD has already done
The bank noted that since 1995, it has led international efforts to minimize risks at Chornobyl NPP. Over this period, more than €2.5 billion in contributions from international partners has been mobilized, a significant portion of which came from G7 countries.
Additionally, the EBRD has allocated more than €700 million from its own resources to nuclear safety projects and the decommissioning of Chornobyl NPP facilities.
Currently, the bank administers the International Chernobyl Cooperation Account, established in 2021. The fund now holds €70 million, including contributions from France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
Anniversary of the disaster
The statement was made on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which occurred in 1986. The EBRD emphasized that the current damage once again places the issue of nuclear safety at the center of the international agenda.