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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Chernobyl to be covered in steel | Chernobyl to be covered in steel |
| (41 minutes later) | |
| The authorities in Ukraine have approved a giant steel cover for the radioactive site of the world's worst nuclear disaster - Chernobyl. | The authorities in Ukraine have approved a giant steel cover for the radioactive site of the world's worst nuclear disaster - Chernobyl. |
| Ukraine has hired a French firm to build the structure to replace the crumbling concrete casing put over the reactor after the 1986 accident. | Ukraine has hired a French firm to build the structure to replace the crumbling concrete casing put over the reactor after the 1986 accident. |
| The casing project is expected to cost $1.4bn (£700m). | The casing project is expected to cost $1.4bn (£700m). |
| It will take five years to complete and the authorities say they will then be able to start dismantling the reactor. | It will take five years to complete and the authorities say they will then be able to start dismantling the reactor. |
| Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko hailed the project: | |
| "Today is probably the first time that we can openly look into the eyes of the national and international community and say that a solution to the problem that has long been called the Chernobyl problem was formally found," he said. | |
| Weather exposure | Weather exposure |
| The French construction company Novarka will build a giant arch-shaped structure out of steel, 190 metres (623 feet) wide and 200m long. | |
| It will cover the existing containment structure which stands over the reactor and radioactive fuel that caused the accident in 1986. | It will cover the existing containment structure which stands over the reactor and radioactive fuel that caused the accident in 1986. |
| The reactor still contains 95% of its original nuclear material, and exposure to weather and poor construction has left the existing casing weak. | The reactor still contains 95% of its original nuclear material, and exposure to weather and poor construction has left the existing casing weak. |
| A separate deal has also been signed with the US firm Holtec to build a storage facility within the exclusion zone for nuclear waste which has been produced by Chernobyl. | A separate deal has also been signed with the US firm Holtec to build a storage facility within the exclusion zone for nuclear waste which has been produced by Chernobyl. |
| The money for the schemes has come from international donors. | The money for the schemes has come from international donors. |
| The fund is administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. | The fund is administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. |
| Its president, Jean Lemierre, said the continued commitment of Ukrainian authorities and the international community was vital for the projects to be successfully completed. | Its president, Jean Lemierre, said the continued commitment of Ukrainian authorities and the international community was vital for the projects to be successfully completed. |