CONSULTING

emove the fuel-containing masses (corium) from the destroyed reactor. NSC is being assembled
600 meters away from the damaged reactor where, thanks to the remediation work over the past
two decades, the relatively low ground-level radiation levels allow staff to work for up to 40 hours
a week. It is planned to move the NSC above the sarcophagus and to commission it in 2017.
The dimensions of the New Confinement Structure are impressive. The internal height is 92.5 m,
the external span is 257 m and the overall length of the structure is 162 m. The external cladding
covers an area of 85,000 m 2 . The NSC includes two bridge cranes of 50 t capacity suspended from
the arch which have the purpose to carry out the deconstruction of the sarcophagus and the
structure of the remaining reactor as well as handling of radioactive material. The cranes and other
mechanical scrapping and removal equipment will be remotely operated from outside the NSC. All
electrical and controls of the NSC are installed in the “engineering building” built nearby.
The NSC will be slid into its final position on a 300-meter rail system by 116 remote-controlled
synchronized jacks. The sliding operation at a speed of 10 mph is expected to take two days. The
final phase will include the sealing operations and interconnections between the NSC and the
shelter. The New Safe Confinement has been designed and built for a 100-year lifetime. Total
decommissioning may take several decades as the environmental contamination will last even
longer.
Figure 31: The New Safe Confinement at Chernobyl
Source: chnpp.gov.ua
Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt et al. 88 World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2016