Appeal of the Participants of Roundtable “30 years of the Shelter Object - 30 Years of the Feat” to the Government of Ukraine and International Community

The participants of Roundtable “30 Years of the Shelter Object – 30 Years of the Feat” point out that Shelter object construction was key element within large-scale process of ChNPP accident localization and its consequences elimination. Heroic work of scientists, designers, builders, soldiers and Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s employees finalized in the signing of the Deed of Acceptance of the preserved Chornobyl NPP Unit 4 for maintenance by the State Acceptance Commission on November 30, 1986.

Since the moment of its commissioning Shelter object has been performing its mission – limiting the adverse radiation effects on personnel, public and the environment.

The follow-up activity aimed at mitigating the consequences of the accident occurred on April 26, 1986, and transforming the Shelter into an environmentally safe system has been immense in terms of the complexity of engineering solutions and the amount of resources involved.

Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) implementation is a huge step towards the Shelter object transformation into an environmentally safe system. Introduction of up-to-date control systems to monitor the Shelter condition, implementation of stabilization activities and construction of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) in particular are important milestones in addressing the Shelter object safety problems. The works performed do not completely resolve safety problems, but provide sufficient conditions for resolving them.

Roundtable participants express sincere gratitude to the international community for the scientific, technical and financial assistance provided in solving complex variety of tasks on Shelter object transformation, performed under the Shelter Implementation Plan. The participants thank all the personnel of SSE ChNPP, Contracting organizations, and foreign companies for their daily hard work in complex conditions to make the Shelter safer.

Roundtable participants, upon the discussion of the results and future works on the Shelter object transformation, acknowledged the following as necessary:

1. To emphasize that ChNPP personnel today has unique experience in mitigating the consequence of large-scale accidents at nuclear facilities, which should be used in full.

2. To focus the attention of the Government of Ukraine on the need to develop a new plan of further actions for Shelter Object transformation into an environmentally safe system according to the “Shelter Transformation Strategy”, because our generation has no right to leave this burden for future generations.

3. To involve all available national and international scientific and technical capabilities into the development of a further actions plan. Permanent scientific and technical support of works on the development and implementation of the further actions plan to transform the Shelter object is the key to the most optimal engineering solutions and efficient use of available resources. To initiate amendments to the existing laws and regulations, if necessary.

4. Taking into account the facts that the Group of Seven (G-7) approved the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) in June 1997, and that the Chornobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) was established in December 1997 to finance the implementation of first two SIP stages, following the commissioning of the New Safe Confinement to inform G-7 about successful completion of Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP), except for FCM retrieval from SO, and about readiness to implement the third stage.

5.To point out that addressing the unique challenges is beyond the resource capabilities of Ukraine due to their complexity, and to address the President, Verkhovna Rada and the Government of Ukraine with a proposal to ensure financing for further works at the Shelter and to promote involvement of international technical assistance.

To encourage the international community to continue cooperation with Ukraine to fulfil all international agreements and to complete works on the Shelter object transformation into an environmentally safe system.

Roundtable participants, 07.11.2016

Презентації:

1. "Further implementation of the "Shelter“ transformation strategy - problems and perspectives". V.M. Rudko, Head of department of design objects with radiation and nuclear technologies.

2. "Realization of the Shelter Implementation Plan as the key milestone in the area of conversion". Sergey Deryuga - NSC Deputy Project Manager for Technical Direction.

3. "30 Years of the Shelter Object – 30 Years of the Feat". SSE Chornobyl NPP.