EBRD secures contribution from France to help restore site safety at Chornobyl

• France pledges €10 million to EBRD-managed International Chernobyl Cooperation Account
• Funds will support repairs to damaged New Safe Confinement
• Adequate safety levels must be restored at Chornobyl nuclear power plant

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has secured a €10 million contribution to the International Chernobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) from France, reaffirming its unwavering support for international decommissioning and nuclear remediation efforts at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and across Ukraine.

The pledge agreement was signed today by Pierre Heilbronn, Special Envoy of the French President for Ukraine’s Relief and Reconstruction, and Mark Bowman, the EBRD Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, at the EBRD’s 34th Annual Meeting and Business Forum in London.

These funds will be used to support the restoration of the key functions of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) following the Russian drone attack in February 2025. That strike rendered systems designed to ensure the NSC’s 100-year lifespan non-operational and significantly increased the risk of further deterioration in the absence of swift emergency repairs.

In the first instance, the EBRD will support measures to repair the external cladding to stop the ingress of water. In the longer term, work will be carried out to restore the core functionality of the facility to minimise the release of further contaminated dust into the environment and provide the conditions for the safe deconstruction of the old shelter and destroyed reactor in the future.

Pierre Heilbronn said: “Our €10 million contribution to the repair of Chornobyl’s New Safe Confinement illustrates France’s longstanding support for Ukraine. French companies played a crucial role in building the NSC, and we hope that this first contribution, which comes only three months after the drone attack, should unlock further pledges from partner countries.”

Mark Bowman said: “We are grateful to France for this vital and timely contribution to the ICCA. Russia’s recent attack on one of the world’s most vulnerable nuclear facilities has caused significant damage to the NSC, putting at risk its functionality and the planned lifetime required for dismantling and waste management tasks. The EBRD is encouraged by the renewed international support for Chornobyl and remains committed to restoring adequate safety levels at the NSC.”

The ICCA was established by the EBRD in November 2020 at the request of the Ukrainian government. It was set up as a multilateral fund to support the development of a comprehensive plan for Chornobyl. The EBRD manages the ICCA, which currently holds some €25 million in donor funds. Following the occupation of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) at the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the scope of the ICCA was broadened to support the restoration of safety and security within the CEZ, as well as wider nuclear safety measures across Ukraine.

The international community has contributed around €2 billion to EBRD-managed programmes in Chornobyl since 1995. In addition, the Bank has made more than €800 million of its net income available for Chornobyl-related projects.