Under its Presidency of the G7, Germany is pressing for the swift completion of the new shelter of the destroyed nuclear power plant in Chernobyl in Ukraine and is calling for secure financing of the construction costs through the Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF). Following a visit to the building site in Chernobyl, Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, commented: "The damaged reactor, which still emits radiation, must be permanently sealed off from the environment by means of a protective shelter." He added that the German Government is prepared to pay its share into the fund as part of the agreed burden sharing. "However, we expect the rest of the donor countries to make their contributions as well."
To date, Germany has paid around 90 million euros into the Chernobyl Shelter Fund set up by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The bank executes financial and administrative transactions on behalf of all donor countries for urgently needed safety-related projects in Chernobyl. As per the agreed distribution key, the German contribution is 10.6 percent of the G7/EU share. According to the key points for the federal budget, recently adopted by the German Cabinet, the German Government is prepared to pay a further 18 million euros into the fund over the next four years. In addition to this, Germany pays a large share into the European Commission's contribution to the fund.
State Secretary Flasbarth was impressed by the status of construction work on the new shelter to cover the damaged reactor block 4. This huge New Safe Confinement (NSC) is almost complete. The gargantuan structure spans 257 metres, is 162 metres long and 108 metres high. The NSC will allow the site to be made environmentally safe. The two halves of the NSC are currently being connected together. The remaining revetment and installation of interior equipment is being carried out at a safe distance from the shelter before the protective shelter is moved to its final position.
However, the completion of the project is still not guaranteed as there is a financial gap of 615 million euros that needs to be bridged. To close this gap, State Secretary Flasbarth is organising a donor conference on 29 April 2015 as part of Germany's G7 Presidency programme.