The Chernobyl Shelter Facility and the Ukrainian construction company Ukrenergobud have signed an agreement to carry out the first stage of reinforcing the emergency construction beams which hold up the Sarcophagus encasing unit 4.
Director of the CSF, Valentyn Kupnyy, said that this is the first contract on reconstruction of the Sarcophagus proper and the contract was signed as part of the International Shelter Implementation Plan.
The contract will be completed in June. The work involves placing a crane over the Sarcophagus, installing a lift and the establishment of a safety programme for repair work. About 580 people will take part in the work and the total radiation dose is expected to be 5980 man-REM. Negotiations for the second stage of the repair work will begin in May.
If the beams collapse, the roof of the reactor hall may cave in.
