EBRD: Fire safety to be restored in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

The International Chernobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a €1.1 million grant to improve fire safety at Chernobyl.

The funds will finance the urgent procurement of fire safety equipment that is required to re-establish the Chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ) administration’s capacity to prevent, detect and fight forest fires across the 30-kilometre zone. Following the occupation of the CEZ by Russian troops from February to April 2022, more than 90 per cent of the administration’s specialised firefighting and forestry machinery was destroyed or looted, says EBRD.

“The Russian military occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site left a trail of devastation. The infrastructure required to support operations at the world’s most vulnerable nuclear facility was critically damaged,” said Balthasar Lindauer, EBRD Director, Nuclear Safety Department. “The EBRD has a long and proud history of supporting Chernobyl’s decommissioning and safety, and we would like to make sure that years of patient progress at the site through international collaboration are not jeopardised.” 

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Press release

EBRD video reportage on Russian occupation of Chernobyl