US pledges financial support for G7 initiative to repair Chornobyl confinement structure
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The U.S. has pledged up to $100 million for a Group of Seven (G7) initiative for repairs to the New Safe Confinement (NSC) arch at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, the State Department announced April 29.
"Consistent with the United States' continued leadership on issues of nuclear safety and non-proliferation, working with Congress, 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 Chornobyl reactors and nuclear material," the statement read.
A Russian drone strike damaged the NSC in February 2025. The current containment structure was first installed in 2019 around the destroyed fourth reactor and its original sarcophagus.
"Initially built with a 100-year lifespan, the NSC was damaged last year in a drone strike during the senseless ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Without repairs, the NSC can no longer provide adequate protection, creating the specter of a dangerous leak of highly radioactive material in Europe," the State Department said.
Ukraine commemorated 40 years since the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant days earlier, on April 26, as Russia continues to pose a risk to nuclear safety in Chornobyl and at the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
"For three decades, the United States and G7 partners have led efforts to secure nuclear material at the Chornobyl plant, with the United States providing more than $365 million in total funding towards the New Safe Confinement (NSC) arch that secures the main reactor areas."
Chornobyl plant director Serhii Tarakanov warned on Dec. 23 that the NSC built above the damaged reactor could collapse following the Russian strike.
