New drone footage shows the colossus that is the containment structure – and structures – at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine that was the site of the world's worst radioactive accident in history as of April 1986, when an explosion destroyed Unit 4 at the plant.
Workers this year have been continuing work on construction of a dry interim fuel storage facility – known as ISF-2 – that is expected to store all of the used fuel on the site for 100 years in canisters designed and built by U.S. firm Holtec International. The facility is its final stages of construction and was scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The double-walled canisters are being built in Pittsburgh, Pa. Chernobyl has accumulated about 21,000 fuel assemblies from Units 1, 2, 3, and 4 which were shut down in 1996, 1991, 2000 and, of course, 1986, respectively. The last of the used fuel at the site, which was moved from Unit 1, was not moved to a five-compartment pool, ISF- 1, until September 2013.
The plant itself did not enter its official decommissioning phase until April of this year. The final shut down process, including the preservation stage, is expected to last a decade.
Much attention has been focused on the massive containment structures that are unprecedented and historic engineering feats. Not only is the 32,000-ton dome large enough to encompass the Statute of Liberty, it was constructed on Teflon pads, so it could be moved into place after construction is completed, which is expected in 2017.
This clip puts it all in perspective:
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