On 30th March the Chernobyl NPP was visited by the Ambassador of France Mrs. Isabelle Dumont. During the meeting of Mrs. Dumont with the management of the State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management (SAEZM) and SSE ChNPP, the French side expressed satisfaction with the Ukrainian contribution into the construction of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at the Chernobyl NPP.
The Ambassador of France Mrs. Isabelle Dumont also met with the team and management of the French company NOVARKA – that is the General Contractor of the NSC construction project, which has been financed by 28 countries along with France.
Mrs. Dumont stated that the Chernobyl catastrophe’s consequences and huge efforts made for their elimination reminded us of how important safety is when using nuclear energy. In France almost 75% of electrical power is generated by nuclear power plants. “We strive to bring our nuclear power plants to the highest safety standards. We fruitfully and systematically cooperate with Ukraine in implementation of projects with the purpose to bring the Chernobyl NPP site into a safe state,” – said the Ambassador.
“Currently, the activities on the Shelter transformation into an environmentally safe system are at the second stage – that is a stage of the NSC construction. I am confident that it will be completed on time. The next third stage on dismantling of the unstable structures and retrieval of the fuel containing masses will be performed by Ukraine by its own forces to ensure the continuous process, but based on the European principles. In the Exclusion Zone’s reformation concept we are planning to combine the scientific and technical potential and resources with other countries, and create within the Exclusion Zone a joint laboratory for scientific research, including on managing the fuel containing masses. In addition, we foreshorten the development of alternative energy sources. In this regard we have both the substantial potential and possibility to reduce the load on the budget of Ukraine,” – stated Mr. Vitalii Petruk.
The SSE ChNPP General Director Mr. Igor Gramotkin also emphasized the importance of the NSC construction project. “Its successful implementation depends not least on the fact that we have been able to gain the common understanding at the Arch assembling site. And therefore, we have achieved the fruitful cooperation between all participants of this complex and long-term process. The Chernobyl NPP, its management and personnel are always open for cooperation,” – said Mr. Gramotkin.
FYI. The NSC project is financed from the Chernobyl Shelter Fund that is administrated by the EBRD. The project is implemented by the French Joint Venture NOVARKA. The project completion is scheduled for autumn 2017.
