nuclear-news

European Union and other global donors pledge more money for Chernobyl nuclear safety effort

Global donors pledge more money for nuclear safety on Chernobyl anniversary, DW 26 Apr 16 Ukraine has commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Global donors have used the occasion to pledge additional funds to help keep the area safe for generations to come………A UN report in 2005 estimated that “up to 4,000” people could eventually perish from the invisible poison in Ukraine and neighboring Russia and Belarus.

The exact number of dead remains a subject of intense debate because the Soviet authorities kept most of the information about the disaster hidden.

Global donors

The EU was among the global donors that promised an additional 87.5 million euros ($99 million) to help secure the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as the Ukrainian government began marking 30 years since the disaster.

The money will go toward the construction of a new spent nuclear waste storage facility, adding to the 2 billion euros already donated to helping clean up and secure the site. Ukraine still needs 15 million additional euros to be able to safely store hazardous materials underground.

“It’s an important project for the world as well as, of course, for Ukraine and Ukrainians,” said Suma Chakrabarti, chief of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the organization in charge of the project…….http://www.dw.com/en/global-donors-pledge-more-money-for-nuclear-safety-on-chernobyl-anniversary/a-19214334

April 27, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, safety, Ukraine