Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

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Work must be done in a logical sequence:
• First, the radioactive material in the sarcophagus must be stabilized. This requires remote
equipment.
• Second, the fuel, the dust, the lava, and the other loose radioactive material must be coilected
and put in containers and placed in a safe repository.
Much of this requires remote equipment
• Third, the remaining radioactive materials must be either confined or decontaminated, and
cleaned up.
This will require a mix of remote equipment and people.
Evaluations to select a long-term solution need not delay priority near-term actions.
A long-temn
solution can be applied after necessary precursor actions are taken.
Long-term solutions might include
placing a stable confinement structure around the reactor (after cleanup), or a more detailed cleanup.
There are two major options, confinement versus "green fielding".
This choice, and actions between
these two extremes, are the subject of deliberation.
There are numerous other examples of needs that require U.S. technology and expertise to allow work
to be accomplished in a safe and efficient manner. Details have been Uentrfied and will be applied as soon
as possible.
The Help Needed
There are some things that can be done with Ukrainian funds and these will constitute the vast bulk
of the effort and manpower.
Hard currency is required to provMe resources and technology that are not currently available in
Ukraine.
The current economk: sltuatk>n exacerbates a very difficult situatkMi in terms of financing the hard
cun'ency poitton of the cleanup work.
This work must be done first because, despite the bravery and risk
accepted by workers at the reactor to assess the details of the situation kisUe the sarcophagus, people
cannot perform many of the tasks required to stabilize and contain the loose material. Technology and
expert help is required to allow the work to be done.
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