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April 26, 2016, marked the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the world's worst nuclear accident. It left 30 people dead and a trail of contamination across large areas of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Though the lingering effects of the accident and the long-term casualties may never be accurately quantified, the aftermath of the tragic event led to perceptible changes in nuclear safety measures across Europe. In the immediate wake of the explosion, the city of Pripyat was evacuated and remains abandoned to this day.
A massive steel and concrete sarcophagus was constructed between May and November 1986 under intense time constraints and extreme levels of radiation. The hastily erected structure was built as an emergency measure to contain the radioactive materials inside reactor unit four and provide a safer environment for post-accident monitoring. Though the tomb has done a suitable job, it is quickly deteriorating, and was never intended as a permanent containment facility.
Since 2010, a replacement arched shelter has been under construction by the Novarka consortium led by French construction companies Bouygues and Vinci. The unprecedented piece of engineering required years of research and preparation due to the project's intrinsic risks. The largest movable land-based structure ever built will slide into place over the damaged reactor to prevent the release of contaminated materials.
The immense 108-metre-high archway has a span of 260 metres and is expected to last a minimum of 100 years. Consisting of a huge tubular steel lattice built on two concrete beams, the structure weighs more than 35,000 tons. State-of-the-art ventilation systems reduce the risk of corrosion, precluding the need for maintenance workers to replace the coating while expose themselves to radiation. A silver-coated external cladding system covers an area of 85,000 square metres.
The structure's slow slide into its final position is expected to take place in November 2016 in what will surely be a highly publicized event. Once secured, the New Safe Confinement will allow for the partial demolition of the old structure. Over 95 percent of the radioactivity is still contained within unit four. The removal process, which is currently unfunded, is expected to take decades.
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