18 November 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the loading of the first batch of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) into the Spent Fuel Dry Storage Facility (ISF-2) at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. On this day in 2020, the first canister was placed into storage during hot trials, and full-scale industrial operation of the facility began in July 2021 after the operating license was obtained.
Over the past five years, a quarter of all spent nuclear fuel from Chornobyl NPP has already been transferred from the old “wet” storage (ISF-1) to ISF-2. This has significantly reduced risks and clearly demonstrates substantial progress in the decommissioning process.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the French companies Bouygues and Vinci, part of the original Novarka consortium, are working on engineering solutions to restore the functionality of the New Safe Confinement (NSC). The progress was discussed during the meeting between Chornobyl NPP Director General Serhii Tarakanov and the project managers from the EBRD, Bouygues and Vinci in Paris.
The State Specialised Enterprise Chornobyl NPP and the French company Framatome will strengthen their cooperation in the fields of nuclear safety, decommissioning, radioactive waste management, and long-term site management. One of the areas of joint work will focus on attracting international funding for the implementation of projects at the Chornobyl NPP.
The delegation from the European Investment Bank (EIB) visited the the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on October, 31. Bank representatives familiarized themselves with the work of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and other enterprises on the territory of the Exclusion zone under martial law and paid the special attention to those areas of activity in respect of which the EIB may initiate the future cooperation.