Stainless steel cover for Chernobyl


30 years after Chernobyl –

German technology should save the reactor

30 years ago the world became witness of the horrible disaster the civil use of nuclear power has turned into. At 26th April 1986 the pressure tube reactor exploded because of a technical breakdown. A cement sarcophagus was built which covers the destroyed reactor. Currently the building measures for a new airtight cover have started. In March a company from Koblenz that specializes in metal building covers got the surcharge for building parts of the inner and outer cover. „Decisive for surcharge were conclusive test results of this newly developed special solution on base of our proven standing seam system“, the manager said.

To design the inner and outer cover of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) following components should be used:

  • The outer cover consists of round about 100 tonnes rustproof stainless steel sheets
    of performance 1.4404, which was processed as a standing seam system with a thickness of  0,5 mm
  • The inner cover is built of 500 tonnes 0,5 mm thick stainless steel, alloy 1.4301
  • All in all there are 4.800 blanks of rustproof stainless steel sheets, cut into 30 cm wide and up to 100 m long stripes. With special machines they got connected with the steel tube frame
  • More than 3 million special stainless steel screws were applied

The implementing of NSC should be at the end of 2017.