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Chernobyl nuclear plant shelter faces cash woes
BBC News Science and Environment ^ | 1 February 2011 | By Richard Hollingham

Posted on 02/02/2011 9:03:36 PM PST by BlueDragon

Nearly 25 years after the world's worst nuclear disaster, it has emerged that only half the money needed to safely secure the wreckage of the Chernobyl power plant has been raised.

A new shelter is being built to seal the almost 200 tonnes of melted nuclear fuel rods within the remains of the damaged reactor.

But construction may have to be halted if donor nations fail to provide funds.

The shelter will sit over an existing "sarcophagus" encasing the reactor.

I was shown into the control room of Reactor Four. The room is a mess: dusty and unlit, the semi-circular wall of panels stands silent.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Education; Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: putin; russia; stringtheory
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1 posted on 02/02/2011 9:03:37 PM PST by BlueDragon
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To: BlueDragon

what? Russia to cheap to fix the mess themselves?


2 posted on 02/02/2011 9:11:09 PM PST by cableguymn
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To: BlueDragon
I have been inside plant twice (am old retired TV network newsie.)

The current shelter/sarcophagus over the remains of Reactor #4 has holes in it large enough for birds to fly in and out.

Of course, it is still so contaminated in there, probably on the order of 2000 to 20,000 rads per hour depending where inside they flew, that they fly off somewhere and die.

3 posted on 02/02/2011 9:13:07 PM PST by MindBender26 (Fighting the "con" in Conservatism on FR since 1998.)
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To: BlueDragon
Here's a link to a photo essay a Ukrainian gal (Elena) made back in 2004 http://www.kiddofspeed.com/chernobyl-revisited/chapter1.html of Chernobyl and the surrounding area. It has been linked to FR more than once, previously.

Her stuff on WWII battles near Kiev, and the "Serpents Wall" adjacent to Kiev is quite fascinating, too.

4 posted on 02/02/2011 9:16:25 PM PST by BlueDragon
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To: BlueDragon

Check this out. She is cool lady.

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/chernobyl-revisited/


5 posted on 02/02/2011 9:16:35 PM PST by MindBender26 (Fighting the "con" in Conservatism on FR since 1998.)
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To: BlueDragon
And why isn't Russia and ex-Soviet countries footing the entire bill? If gives you some understanding of the thinking of these people. Almost all of the money for the construction of simulators for the current Russians Reactors are paid for by the US DOE.

The Russians shouldn't be allowed to sell their nuclear technology.

6 posted on 02/02/2011 9:17:04 PM PST by WHBates
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To: BlueDragon

Sent you her stuff as you were posting it!
Great minds, etc.....

:)


7 posted on 02/02/2011 9:17:36 PM PST by MindBender26 (Fighting the "con" in Conservatism on FR since 1998.)
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To: MindBender26

Elena’s stuff is amazing.

That sarcophagus really needs to be fixed. The whole thing is resting on the rubble wall. That wall collapses, chernobyl redux.


8 posted on 02/02/2011 9:20:57 PM PST by BenKenobi (one of the worst mistakes anybody can make is to bet against Americans.")
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To: BlueDragon

Sent you her stuff as you were posting it!
Great minds, etc.....

:)


9 posted on 02/02/2011 9:22:00 PM PST by MindBender26 (Fighting the "con" in Conservatism on FR since 1998.)
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To: MindBender26
I was just going through all her stuff (for about the third time) a few days ago, I'm not sure why. The photos of the ghostowns and villages can be quite haunting.

When you were there, did you go into the deserted town itself?

10 posted on 02/02/2011 9:23:39 PM PST by BlueDragon
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To: BlueDragon

They could cut back on their new sub and ICBM programs and pay for it themselves, instead of panhandling.


11 posted on 02/02/2011 9:23:44 PM PST by Spirochete (Sic transit gloria mundi)
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To: BenKenobi

Worst part is the microscopic graphite, concrete, metal and other dust that fills the building. It’s very hot and the “lid” for the reactor is standing on edge over it, ready to tip over!

In 2006, the local security guy (former GRU) said that shelter walls were so weak that even an weak earthquake or strong thunderstorm would topple them.


12 posted on 02/02/2011 9:26:45 PM PST by MindBender26 (Fighting the "con" in Conservatism on FR since 1998.)
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To: BlueDragon

Chernobyl is the Crown Jewel on the failures of Marxism, Socialism and Central Planning.


13 posted on 02/02/2011 9:27:12 PM PST by wjcsux ("In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell)
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To: BenKenobi
The scaffolding around it is holding it up.

Here's pic of Elena's I posted on a another thread today, which lead to this present article being posted.


14 posted on 02/02/2011 9:28:31 PM PST by BlueDragon
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To: BlueDragon

It’s a long story for another tine, but, in Pripyat, we even bought an AK, two full mags and a great SOV issue leather belt from a security guard!


15 posted on 02/02/2011 9:28:54 PM PST by MindBender26 (Fighting the "con" in Conservatism on FR since 1998.)
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To: MindBender26; BlueDragon

I ran across this a few years back. It’s a photo essay about asylums in Belarus caring for children who were born affected by Chernobyl. Horrific at many points, but very well done, too.

http://todayspictures.slate.com/inmotion/essay_chernobyl/


16 posted on 02/02/2011 9:38:28 PM PST by DemforBush (I got three passports, a couple of visas. You don't even know my real name..)
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To: wjcsux

Yeah.
Hundreds of guys lost their lives smothering it up, then hastily building the now tottering "sarcophagus". The world owes some debt to those guys, but the (now "ex") Soviets perhaps owe a bigger debt to the rest of the world, for causing the mess in the first place.

Hey Vlad, baby! How about taking some of the oil & gas money you get from Europe utilizing those pipelines going through the Ukraine, and maybe bury that Chernobyl stuff better?

17 posted on 02/02/2011 9:43:21 PM PST by BlueDragon
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To: MindBender26

I wouldn’t doubt it. They were lucky to get the containment that they did over the core. Even now, the workers still have to take shifts to prevent overexposure, and I believe there are only 3 men left who survived the explosion.

All of them basically say the same thing. They saw the shining, exposed core, but only for about 15 seconds before they turned away.

Even to do it today would be suicide.


18 posted on 02/02/2011 9:47:43 PM PST by BenKenobi (one of the worst mistakes anybody can make is to bet against Americans.")
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: DemforBush

I went to your link. Very sad to say the least. I hope our safeguards are much much better.


20 posted on 02/02/2011 10:21:54 PM PST by BBell
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