A key point in the clean-up of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster has been reached this week. The first lifting stage of the New Safe Confinement has been completed the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has confirmed.

The project will see the number four reactor that blew up twenty-six years ago contained with a structure which spans 257m and weighs 29,000 tonnes. During the nuclear catastrophe in 1986, a fire raged at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, throwing out 400 times the amount of radiation of the bomb attack on Hiroshima.

At 164m in length and with a height of 110m, the New Safe Confinement structure will reduce the risk of further radiological contamination and enable the decontamination team to continue their long-term work.

EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti said: “This is a very significant milestone, which is a tribute to the ongoing commitment of the international donor community, and an important step towards overcoming the legacy of the accident for the people of Ukraine, Belarus and all other countries affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe.”