The protective shield at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant can no longer contain radioactive material from the sites’ 1986 disaster after being crippled in a drone strike, the UN nuclear watchdog said Friday.
The shield, called the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at Chernobyl, was “severely damaged” by a Feb. 14 drone strike, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.
Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out the strike, which the Kremlin denied.
“The NSC had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability,” the IAEA said.
The massive $2.3 billion arch-shaped structure was built in 2019 to seal in radioactive material and seal out wind, snow and rain over Chernobyl’s Number 4 reactor.
It weighs 36,000 tons and is 345 feet tall 540 feet long and spans 840 feet. It was named one of the 50 most influential projects of the past 50 years by the Project Management Institute. The NSC was built to last 100 years, it was financed by Chernobyl Shelter Fund.
The drone strike also caused a major fire which damaged the outer coating of the steel structure constructed to contain the radioactive remains of the reactor.
The IAEA’s inspection found that the shield’s load-bearing structures and monitoring systems were not damaged. It was not clear how much of a threat to the surrounding environment or the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, which sits 80 miles away, the damage to the shield posed — but a major issue did not appear imminent.
The Chernobyl nuclear plant was the site of the worst nuclear accident in history.
A reactor meltdown occured on April 26, 1986 in what was then the Soviet Union. It was caused by a flawed design and inadequately trained personnel led to a steam explosion and resulting fires that released at least 5 percent of the radioactive core into the surrounding environment.
Two Chernobyl plant workers were killed in the immediate impact of the explosion and 28 more died in the coming weeks — over 350,000 people were displaced.
“Limited temporary repairs have been carried out on the roof, but timely and comprehensive restoration remains essential to prevent further degradation and ensure long-term nuclear safety,” Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
The IAEA recommended a series of improvements to the structure, and pledged that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development would fund renovations meant to restore the structure’s confinement function.
“The IAEA – which has a team permanently at the site – will continue to do everything it can to support efforts to fully restore nuclear safety and security at the Chornobyl site,” Director General Grossi said in the statement.
Russian forces seized the nuclear plant early into its war against Ukraine in Feb. 2022.
Russia relinquished the plant and returned it to Ukraine a month later.
Ben Cost contributed to this report.
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