Ukraine spends over 2 bln hryvni on Chernobyl exclusion zone management in 2023 - DiXi Group

MOSCOW. April 26 (Interfax) - Ukraine spend 2.11 billion hryvni on the management of the Chernobyl exclusion zone in 2023, up 3% from 2022 and 11% lower than in 2021, Ukrainian media said citing the websites of Dixi Group and Energy Map.

"In 2023, Ukraine spent 2.11 billion hryvni on the maintenance of the safe condition of the shut-down power units of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Shelter Structure, the processing and disposal of radioactive waste, the environmental safety in the exclusion zone, and other maintenance measures," the media said.

Sixty percent of the funds spent, or 1.26 billion hryvni, were allocated on the maintenance of the safe condition of the nuclear power plant's units and the Shelter Structure, it said. In addition, 20%, or 0.43 billion hryvni were spent on maintaining the environmental safety in the exclusion and mandatory resettlement zone. Another 18%, 0.39 billion hryvni, were spent on decontamination, transporting, processing and disposal of radioactive waste and the construction of the Vector Structure, where these measures take place.

Other expenditures, which stood at less than 2% of the total, or 0.03 billion hryvni, went towards the preservation of the ethic and cultural heritage of the regions affected by the Chernobyl disaster, the management and control of the operations in the exclusion zone, and radiological protection of the population.

DiXi Group highlighted that, according to the planned budget, 2.81 billion hryvni were intended for the management of the Chernobyl exclusion zone in 2023, but the Ukrainian State Agency on the Exclusion Zone Management expended only 75.2% of the plan.

The expenditures are planned in amount of 2.49 billion hryvni for 2024.