U.S. to provide $100 mln for Chernobyl NPP safety

MOSCOW. April 30 (Interfax) - The U.S. Department of State intends to provide up to $100 million in available foreign assistance funding toward coordinated G7 efforts to ensure the continued containment of fissile nuclear material at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Ukrainian media reported citing the State Department's press release.

The United States has provided "more than $365 million in total funding towards the New Safe Confinement (NSC) arch that secures the main reactor areas," it said.

Initially built with a 100-year lifespan, the NSC was damaged last year, it said. "Without repairs, the NSC can no longer provide adequate protection, creating the specter of a dangerous leak of highly radioactive material in Europe," it said.

"The United States is proactively committing 20%, or $100 million, of the G7's estimated $500 million cost to rehabilitate the NSC arch and ensure continued safety and security of the Chernobyl reactors and nuclear material," it said.