Following the drone attack: Significant funds are needed to restore the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
30 March 00:21
European partners are allocating tens of millions of euros to repair the sarcophagus at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which was damaged as a result of a Russian attack. Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga announced this in an interview with Ukrinform, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to him, the structure protecting the world from radiation was damaged by a Russian drone attack. The cost of restoring safety is currently estimated at around 500 million euros.
The issue of the nuclear threat was discussed during the foreign minister’s visit to France. It was Paris that proposed putting this topic on the agenda. According to the minister, the problem of the plant’s safety has long gone beyond the scope of a local disaster.
“This year marks a somber anniversary—the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy. And France, as the G7 chair, proposed discussing this issue ahead of the donor conference to be held in Ukraine in April,” the Foreign Minister added.
According to Sybiga, international partners have already begun to announce the amounts they are prepared to allocate for the plant’s rehabilitation. The project will be implemented in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Although the total amount has not yet been raised, the first tranches have already been confirmed.
“During this meeting, specific commitments were already made by a number of countries regarding contributions to the future fund’s budget,” he said.
Although the minister did not specify the exact contributions of each country, he emphasized that there is already confirmation of “several tens of millions of euros.” In his view, this indicates that the world has heard Ukraine.
“Therefore, the process of attracting donor funds has begun,” the head of Ukrainian diplomacy concluded.
As a reminder, the IAEA convened an emergency meeting due to Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. These attacks pose serious risks to the operation of nuclear power plants, as they depend on a stable power supply. Damage to substations and power grids increases the threat of a nuclear accident, since reactor cooling systems may fail without electricity.
