The Canadian authorities have decided to contribute $12 million to the Chornobyl Shelter Fund, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Rob Nicholson.
“Canada is contributing $12 millions to the Chernobyl
Shelter Fund. We remain committed to supporting #Ukraine,” Nicholson
wrote on Twitter.
Canada will also assist Ukraine in countering organized crime,
developing enterprises and strengthening nuclear security, he tweeted.
The Chornobyl Shelter Fund was set up in 1997 to assist Ukraine in
achieving this goal. The New Safe Confinement (NSC), at a cost of euro
1,5 billion, is the most prominent element of the euro 2,15 billion
Shelter Implementation Plan, the strategic framework developed to
overcome the consequences of the 1986 accident.
With a height of 110 meters, a length of 165 meters, a span of 260
meters and a weight of more than 30,000 tons the New Safe Confinement is
the largest moveable land-based structure ever built. It has been
constructed since 2010 in a cleared area in two halves which have been
lifted and joined.
The structure is currently being equipped with heavy duty cranes and
other specialized equipment before it will be moved over the damaged
reactor in late 2017. It will have a lifespan of a minimum of 100 years
and allow for the future dismantling of the old shelter and its
radioactive inventory as well as waste management operations.
To date, 43 donor governments have contributed to the Chornobyl
Shelter Fund. In addition to its role as fund manager the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has
provided euro 675 million of its own resources to support Chornobyl
projects including the New Safe Confinement.
