Chernobyl : Confinement shield begins

In Novarka, Ukraine, the Vinci Construction and Bouygues Construction consortium has started moving the confinement shield that will cover the number 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The new confinement shield (the largest man-made structure on Earth) will cover the radioactive waste materials caused by the accident in 1986. It measures 162 m long, 108 m tall and has a scope of 257 m for a total weight of 36,000 tons. In Ukraine, where it is located, it stands ready to be moved over the number 4 reactor which was destroyed 30 years ago.

Indeed, the arch is moved through a special sliding system of 224 hydraulic cylinders allowing a thrust of 60 cm at a time. The whole operation will take about 40 h for a period of 5 days. Built on an area close to the reactor, the shield must be moved on a distance of 327 m before it can complete its mission. It will secure the site and dismantle the ageing sarcophagus and contain the radioactive waste still inside.

The confinement shield was built by Novarka in two steps, hoisted then assembled between November 2012 and October 2015. The structure, in the form of an arch, is fitted with gigantic cranes for the dismantling of the sarcophagus . The new shield has a lifetime of 100 years and will cost 1.5 billion euros.