Chornobyl’s giant New Safe Confinement has taken its place

December 2, 2016 Chornobyl’s giant New Safe Confinement (NSC) was moved over a distance of 327 metres from its assembly point to its final resting place, completely enclosing aprevious makeshift shelter that was hastily assembled immediately after the 1986 accident.

The Chornobyl arch is the largest moveable land-based structure ever built, with a span of 257 metres, a length of 162 metres, a height of 108 metres and a total weight of 36,000 tonnes equipped. It will make the accident site safe and with a lifetime of 100 years allow for the eventual dismantling of the ageing makeshift shelter from 1986 and the management of the radioactive waste.

The structure was built by Novarka, a consortium of the French construction firms VINCI Construction and Bouygues Construction. Works started in 2010. With a cost of €1.5 billion the giant structure is the most prominent element of the Shelter Implementation Plan for Chornobyl, which involved more than 300 projects and activities. The €2.1 billion programme is financed by the Chornobyl Shelter Fund. The EBRD manages the Fund and is the largest contributor to the New Safe Confinement project.