On 12th March 2016 the ChNPP industrial site was visited by EBRD’s Acting Vice President for Policy and Partnerships Mr. Alain Pilloux accompanied by Managing Director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus Mr. Francis Malige and Director of Nuclear Safety Department Mr. Vince Novak, and by other official representatives of EBRD.
The visit was made at the invitation of a directorate of Novarka, the company which is constructing the New Safe Confinement at the site. It should be reminded that this project is financed from the funds accumulated by donor countries into the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and administrated by the EBRD.
The EBRD representatives visited the Shelter Observation Pavilion, where the SSE ChNPP First Deputy General Director Valeriy Seyda familiarized them with the current status at the Shelter Object and answered numerous questions about the present status of the Plant’s industrial site and mitigation of 1986 accident consequences. After that the guests, accompanied by Novarka Director Nicolas Caille, visited the Arch assembling area.
In distinguished visitors' book Mr. Alain Pilloux left the following note:
“Visiting the site of Chernobyl is both moving and intriguing.
One cannot forget the commitment and heroism of those who gave their lives or their health to mitigate the consequences of the accident.
The work done since 1986 is exceptional in scope and ambition. Donors, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, will continue to support the efforts of the Ukrainian authority until one of us can declare that everything has been done to return the site to a safe environment.”
Besides, the EBRD’s Acting Vice President for Policy and Partnerships and his escorts visited a construction site of a dry-type spent nuclear fuel storage facility (ISF-2). This project is financed from the EBRD’s Nuclear Safety Account. The ISF-2 Project Manager Mr. Andrey Savin familiarized them with the work progress. Technologies for spent nuclear fuel storage and monitoring of its conditions aroused intense interest among the visitors.
Prypiat, a former town of atomic scientists, specifically impressed the guest and finished this visit.
“When you hear stories about this, of course, one cannot imagine the scales of the catastrophe that happened. One can understand this only by seeing all with own eyes. And it is hard to see all of this” – they mentioned.
