Black & Veatch Provides Monitoring of the Radioactive Confinement Sarcophagus at Chernobyl

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) selected Black & Veatch to provide independent monitoring of construction on two key programs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine – the New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure and the Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility (ISF-2).

The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred in 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. To contain the contamination and avert a greater catastrophe, a sarcophagus structure was constructed, and now the aging infrastructure is being upgraded.

The Chernobyl Shelter Fund, set up in 1997, finances the Shelter Implementation Plan to transform the damaged Chernobyl Unit 4 to a more environmentally stable condition. The NSC structure and ISF-2 are two key components of that program. The NSC structure is designed to contain the radioactive remains of Unit 4 for the next 100 years.

The ISF-2 will provide a crucial component of a preparatory stage for the decommissioning of Units 1, 2 and 3. It will provide dry storage for at least 100 years for the more than 20,000 spent fuel assemblies from the operation of Chernobyl.

“Black & Veatch has overcome many challenges and is delivering meaningful reports to the donors and the Bank, and they have established excellent working relationships with our project management units.”

Esther Harlander, Senior Manager, Nuclear Safety Department, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development