Closing Chernobyl APP Meets with Obstacles

The total volume of international technical aid for closing the Chernobyl APP must amount to about one billion US dollars, the information department of the atomic power plant has told RIA Novosti.

Head of the plant Yuri Neretin said that technical aid from the world community was the deciding factor for closing the Chernobyl APP and turning the object Ukrytiye /Shelter/, into an environmentally safe system.

However, according to Neretin, state authorities have long been unable to bring changes into the current legislation on making the international technical aid for the APP tax-free, which is envisaged in international agreements.

Moreover, problems in licensing and certifying special equipment coming from abroad have not been resolved either.

After negotiations in London, Ukrainian Premier Viktor Yanukovich and President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Jean Lemierre signed a joint co-operation programme to resolve a number of legal problems related to the international technical aid.

According to the APP information department, 2002 saw realisation of international contracts worth 29.9 mln US dollars and 23.1 mln euro.

For example, construction work at the new storage of spent nuclear fuel and plant processing liquid radioactive waste products has been completed. The equipment is currently being assembled.

A project of an industrial complex to handle hard radioactive waste products has also been developed.