THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of
the Press Secretary
(Kiev, Ukraine)
| For
Immediate Release |
June 5,
2000 |
Fact Sheet
Chornobyl Closure
President Kuchma's announcement today that Ukraine will close
the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant by December 15, 2000 represents a major
milestone for Ukraine, as well as the United States and other G-7 nations,
which have led the international effort to close the plant. Ukraine's actions
will improve nuclear safety for the people of this important nation and will
give a greater sense of security for all neighboring nations, which have lived
too long in the shadow of the world's worst civilian nuclear accident.
In response to today's closure announcement, President Clinton today
pledged additional assistance of $78 million from the United States for the
Chornobyl sarcophagus project, which will reconstruct and stabilize the
structure that covers the ruined Reactor Four at the Chornobyl plant.
In addition, the U.S. will fund a business incubator for the
neighboring town of Slavutych in recognition of the economic impact that
closure of the nuclear facility will have on the local population. The U.S.
Department of Labor, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Labor, has
also committed to a project to address the needs of workers displaced by
Chornobyl's closure. Moreover, the Department of Energy will be providing an
additional $2 million in nuclear safety assistance, part of which will be used
to help with the safe shutdown of Chornobyl.
The U.S. will work with
Ukraine and the G-7 to obtain the remaining funds needed to complete the
sarcophagus project at the second Chornobyl sarcophagus pledging conference, to
be held on July 6, in Berlin.
In 1995, the United States, the other G-7
countries and Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Understanding on closure of the
Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Since 1995, the G-7 and Ukraine have worked
together to mobilize nearly $2 billion in international financial institutions
energy sector loans to help Ukraine develop a more reliable and stable energy
sector. The G-7 have provided nearly $1 billion in grant funds for Chornobyl
site safety projects, for decommissioning facilities, and to repair the
Chornobyl sarcophagus.
To date, the U.S. has provided over $200 million
in assistance for nuclear safety in Ukraine. Approximately $100 million has
been dedicated to safety improvements to Chornobyl and other nuclear power
plants as well as regulatory assistance, $22 million for construction of a
plant to provide heat for Chornobyl decommissioning activities, and a previous
$78 million for the sarcophagus project. |
