The government plans to extend the Chernobyl decommissioning program through 2036
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a bill that provides for the update and extension, through 2036, of the nationwide program for the decommissioning of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The document also covers the further transformation of the "Shelter" facility into an environmentally safe system.
The document updates the program’s measures to account for current challenges, the consequences of Russia’s armed aggression, and the actual status of project implementation at the Chernobyl NPP site. It also specifies the scope of work and sources of funding.
The total funding for the program through 2036 will amount to approximately 50.8 billion hryvnias. Of this amount, 45.6 billion hryvnias are planned to come from the state budget, with an additional 5.2 billion hryvnias provided through international technical assistance.
The Ministry of Energy explained that the program needs to be updated due to the completion of the decommissioning phases and preparations for the decommissioning of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The next stage is to be the actual decommissioning of the plant and the subsequent transformation of the “Shelter” facility into an environmentally safe system.
The bill also provides for additional tasks to address the damage to the structures of the New Safe Confinement arch following a direct hit by a Russian drone. These measures involve restoring the protective infrastructure and ensuring nuclear and radiation safety.
The continuation of the program is intended to ensure the uninterrupted performance of work at the Chernobyl site, the fulfillment of Ukraine’s international obligations in the field of nuclear safety, and the mobilization of international technical and financial assistance.
Once approved by the government, the bill will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration, according to the Ministry of Energy.
Within the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, scientists and staff have managed to track a unique herd of feral cows. It is extremely difficult to spot the animals in the summer—due to the abundance of food in the forest, they are constantly on the move and vanish instantly at the slightest sign of a human approaching.
The presence of the golden jackal has been officially confirmed in the Chernobyl Radiation-Ecological Biosphere Reserve. The animal had previously been detected through tracks and camera traps, but its presence has only now been definitively confirmed.
