Chornobyl NPP decommissioning program is proposed to be extended until 2036
Kyiv • UNN
The Cabinet of Ministers approved a draft law on extending the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning program until 2036. Funding will amount to about UAH 50.8 billion, of which UAH 45.6 billion from the state budget.
The government has proposed extending the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning program until 2036, reported the Ministry of Energy on Thursday, writes UNN.
The government approved a draft law on updating and extending the state program for decommissioning the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant until 2036
After approval by the government, the draft law will be sent to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.
The updated document "extends the program and its funding until 2036." It clarifies the list of measures and funding sources for decommissioning the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and transforming the "Shelter" object into an environmentally safe system.
The total funding for the program until 2036 will amount to about 50.8 billion hryvnias. Of these, 45.6 billion hryvnias are planned to be allocated from the state budget, and another 5.2 billion hryvnias – from international technical assistance.
"The need to update the current program is due to the completion of the stages of cessation of operation and preparation for decommissioning of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The next stage will be the direct decommissioning of the plant and the further transformation of the 'Shelter' object into an environmentally safe system," the statement said.
The draft act, as noted, also establishes additional tasks and measures to eliminate the consequences of damage to the structures of the arch of the New Safe Confinement caused by a direct hit by a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle. The document provides for additional measures necessary to restore protective infrastructure and ensure nuclear and radiation safety.
"Extending the program will ensure the continuous execution of work on decommissioning the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the implementation of Ukraine's international obligations in the field of nuclear safety, and will also facilitate the attraction of international technical and financial assistance for the implementation of projects at the plant site," the Ministry of Energy emphasized.