Update on Chernobyl

A few weeks ago I did a focus section on Nuclear Power, recently there have been some developments in Chernobyl which I feel are important to include so this is just a quick break in the discussion about oil.

At the beginning of November, work began on the Chernobyl site to remove the ventilation stacks which are 75m tall and weight around 220 tonnes (World Nuclear News, 5th November). The aim of this is to allow the construction of a shield over the site to contain any future radation links. The first ventilation stack has been successfully removed and the construction of the shield has begun. The 110m high shield is also enough to hide a football pitch and will be a oppressive feature on the landscape (BBC News, 27th November).

The arch so far

First part of construction of the arch - BBC News

This is one of the most ambitious engineering projects in history and is aiming to finish in 2015. The challenges in construction have been enormous, before you even start considering the radiation levels and risk to workers. The reactor (which exploded in 1986) is still far to reactive for people to work there for significant periods of time so the arch is constructed at another site and then transported on rails to the site (VINCI Construction).

A model of the final structure - aiming to be complete in 2015

The final construction - Novarka

Once completed the shield should contain any future leaks and protect the surrounding area: finally allowing the population to move on more from the disaster. It does raise the question of what is a reasonable level of risk to take and is Nuclear Power a step too far. There is still so much we don't fully understand about the effects of disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima that the response to them is limited.