Project to Seal Off Chernobyl Site Short Millions of Dollars

Experts warn if the current concrete shell collapses a huge amount of nuclear material will be released into the atmosphere.

It’s been 25 years since an explosion at Chernobyl’s Reactor Number Four triggered the worse nuclear disaster in history, and its fallout continues to pose a serious environmental threat. The concrete “sarcophagus” that was hastily built around the site in the days following the explosion is expected last another fifteen years at the most. The European Union has spearheaded an initiative to build a 257-metre-long and 164-metre-wide shelter over the site that when completed will be the world’s largest movable structure, but officials say they are €740 million ($993 million) short of collecting the funds needed to finish the project. The agencies involved are hoping a conference in April marking the disaster’s 25th anniversary will spur donations from other countries.