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    A kick-off meeting between the Chernobyl NPP management and representatives of Solar Chernobyl, a company which is a lessee of the site where panels of photovoltaic power station “Chernobyl” will be installed, was held on April 6 at the Chernobyl NPP. The General Contractor for constructing a new Power Station is Rodina Energy Group Limited.

    As noted by the Chernobyl NPP General Director Mr. Irog Gramotkin, this pilot project is of great importance for the ChNPP and Exclusion Zone as a whole: “This project is our future, the future of our site; therefore we cannot but implement it! So what if it is yet very small – only 1 megawatt of installed power, but the first megawatt will be definitely followed by the second one.”

    The project details were discussed within the framework of the meeting. After the meeting the Solar Chernobyl’s representatives visited the industrial site in the proximity of II Generation Switchgear building and shoot photos required for pre-design and design works.

    Representatives of the Clean Futures Fund visited the Chernobyl NPP industrial site on April 6. It is the American public organization established in 2016 to fight for the clean future of our planet. It was founded by Lucas Hixson and Eric Kambarian who visited the Chernobyl NPP for the past five years within the RAD-ER Program for professionals developed by Carl Willis and Willis Scientific Enterprises LLC.

    Lucas Hixson and Eric Kambarian conducted numerous consultations with various organizations and universities in the United States of America, including the University of South Carolina, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, U.S.-Ukraine Charitable Foundation and experts from all over the world. The Fund is interested in coordination of programs such as the assistance to creating a joint working environment, which are connected with the Chernobyl NPP with the purpose to share experience and knowledge between the Ukrainian and international specialists. The Fund is interested in the programs which will directly impact on the ChNPP workers and veterans.

    The objective of this visit lies in discussing technical details of both environmental and social project which starts at the ChNPP in the nearest time. The guests met with the SSE ChNPP Deputy General Director (for Licensing and Supervision) Mr. Konstantyn Shefer, personnel of Supervision Departments of SSE ChNPP and SE ChNPP FSD, which may be directly involved into implementation of this new project.

    The Global Impact Challenge Ukraine was opened at a large conference hall of Chernobyl NPP on April 3. This is a program aimed at helping to develop solutions for global problems of the mankind. Its participants, by using state-of-the-art disruptive technologies, have to implement ideas and projects which in the nearest 10 years will improve lives of a billion people on earth. The Chernobyl NPP site was selected the program’s starting point as a place of the severest environmental and technogenic challenge of the mankind, which is successfully addressed.

    Topic of the Global Impact Challenge Ukraine 2017 — climate change. Teams from all regions of Ukraine had an opportunity to present their own vision in addressing problems of global warming, pollution of air, water and soil, waste processing, loss of biodiversity, elimination of consequences of the ChNPP accident and other large-scale human-induced disasters, as well as drying of water bodies, deforestation, reduction of emissions of fluorine gases and other chemical waste.

    The competition winner will receive a scholarship for 10-week summer Singularity University Global Solutions Program 2017 at NASA Ames Research Center in the Silicon Valley.

    The Global Impact Challenge Ukraine is carried out by the Singularity University (USA) in cooperation with the SingularityU Kyiv Chapter and public organization greencubator.

    A membrane has been delivered to the full extent to the construction site of New Safe Confinement. This membrane is intended to completely seal the NSC Arch. The membrane itself was designed and manufactured of polyurethane exclusively by CNIM, a French company. In course of design all potentially possible types of deformation were taken into regard: expanding by 55% from the initial size to withstand winds that can reach up to 300 km/hour. Moreover, the membrane body has special incorporated pieces which prevent any tearing. 

    The membrane width makes 150 cm and the length of one section reaches 16 m. The complete membrane will utilize about 2 thousand meters of polyurethane fabric. 

    The membrane will be soon installed on the sealing anchors which have been mounted on Shelter, process building and other structures which are adjacent to the arch. Once the membrane has been installed the arch interior space will be isolated from the environment. 

    We invite you to take part in the Second International Conference on Nuclear Decommissioning and Environment Recovery INUDECO, which will be held 26-27th of April 2016 in Slavutych (Ukraine) in the scope of events dedicated to 30 anniversary of Slavutych town that was built for Chornobyl disaster fighters.

    The conference is held to address the problems of improving the efficiency of scientific research, cooperation and exchange of experience on decommissioning of nuclear facilities and radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. In the context of the disasters of Chornobyl (1986, Ukraine) and Fukushima (2011, Japan) the challenges today are the reintegration of territories and social adaptation of the victims, as well as restoring the environment. 

    Representatives of the government and private sectors, non-profit and scientific organizations will be given the opportunity to take part in following sections:

    — The experience of liquidating the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster and making the “Shelter” object an ecologically safe system. 
    — Decommissioning nuclear power plants, treating with radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. 
    — Social reintegration of the people and territories related to the termination of operation of core enterprises. 
    — Emergency response on objects of critical infrastructure. 
    — IT support of nuclear decommissioning. 
    — “Smart city” technologies of the 21st century. 
    — Ecological problems of constant development and safe environment. 12 Slavutych ECO Forum.

    1. IAEA Risks Management Workshop finished
    2. The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Environmental Policy, Nature Resources Utilization and Elimination of the Consequences of Chernobyl Catastrophe discussed a status of international project implementation on Chernobyl site
    3. Project “Procedures and methods for release of materials from regulatory control” is heading into the homestretch
    4. IAEA continues technical cooperation in ChNPP decommissioning and RAW management area

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