After a Russian drone hit the shelter at the Chornobyl NPP, there is a possibility of radioactive substances being released under certain circumstances. However, radiation levels remain within normal limits.
Chief Engineer of the Chornobyl NPP Oleksandr Tytarchuk said this during a briefing at the Chornobyl NPP, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The shelter is already quite old, and in order to ensure safety, the international community allocated funds and built a new confinement, which was very expensive and required a great deal of effort, including the health of all our workers.First, the shelter ceased to fulfill its function. There is a potential risk of radioactive substances being released due to certain actions that may occur at the old shelter facility,” Tytarchuk said.
At the same time, he emphasized that the situation is currently under control.
“No excess of control levels in terms of radiation background was recorded at the site. The background has not changed,” the Chornobyl NPP chief engineer said.
“The site has not shown any excess radiation background levels. The background has not changed,” the Chornobyl NPP chief engineer said.
His words were confirmed by Andriy Danyk, the head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. “The radiation background at the industrial site is within normal limits. We are monitoring the situation with the help of units from the State Hydrometeorological Service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine throughout the country. The background is normal everywhere. At the same time, we have informed the European Civil Protection Office, their coordination center, that we have such a situation and such consequences,” Danyk said.
According to the SES head, the fire has been extinguished; however, rescue units are still working at the site.
“They are constructing shelters out of metal structures and adding insulation, which continues to smolder in some areas. It is a strenuous task, especially given the structure’s height, which exceeds 100 meters. The weather conditions are challenging, with sub-zero temperatures and continuous snowfall. Despite these conditions, rescuers are fulfilling their duties,” he said.
Tytarchuk has added that the creation of a new project to restore the shelter will require significant time and effort.
“We will contact the Institute of Building Structures, which will carry out a survey, develop projects and give its conclusions on what can be done in this situation. This will take many months. At the moment, representatives of the Chernobyl NPP’s construction department are inspecting the structures for their functional load-bearing capacity. This is the only thing we can determine, but the conclusion will be made by the institutions that operate in Ukraine and have the appropriate licences of the relevant specialists. But the hole itself (caused by a Russian drone strike – ed) does not pose a direct threat to the structures inside,” said Tytarchuk.
As reported by Ukrinform, on the night of February 14, a Russian attack drone hit the arch-shaped protective shell of the New Safe Confinement (NSC, a special protective structure) of the Shelter of Chornobyl NPP Unit 4.
