Governments and institutions meet in Paris on November 9 to fund repairs to the New Safe Confinement, the steel arch over Chornobyl’s destroyed reactor. G7 members have signaled €260 million toward a bill estimated at no less than €500 million. For the nuclear, engineering and insurance sectors, the conference will show how much of a G7 priority can be carried by a wider donor pool.
G7 finance ministers set out the position in Bangkok on October 15. The French presidency’s summary said several members announced their intention to contribute an aggregate €260 million, subject to national procedures. It called on other partners to cover the remaining needs at the Paris conference, which France, Ukraine and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will co-chair.
What the repair involves
A Russian drone struck the structure in February 2025. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in December 2025 that it had lost some key safety functions, including containment, according to Hromadske. EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso has said preliminary assessments indicate corrosion of the steel structure could put the arch’s long-term safety at risk.
The money would flow through the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account, which the EBRD manages. The bank says donors have approved €30 million for early engineering and procurement work, delivered in three phases that end with an implementation plan and, where justified, early purchases of long-lead items.
Preliminary assessments came from Novarka 2, which comprises Bouygues Travaux Publics and Vinci Construction Grands Projets, the arch’s original designer-builder. Envirotec reported that the plant and the consortium signed a contract on September 16 for the initial phase of engineering studies and restoration planning.
Where the gap sits
The G7 figure leaves about €240 million still to find. Renaud-Basso told Politico that securing the rest would be challenging and that Paris might not produce every commitment at once, Hromadske reported. It said the bank is looking to other European countries, Gulf states and other partners, and does not expect Russia to contribute directly.
“The resources currently available are not sufficient,” Renaud-Basso said in an earlier speech at the plant, adding that restoring full functionality by 2030 could cost at least €500 million. Hromadske reported that the bank hopes to award contracts and begin major work in 2028, with repairs taking about two years.
What to watch in Paris
Three outcomes matter: the total pledged, how much is new money rather than a restatement of the G7’s €260 million, and whether non-G7 donors take a visible share. The €260 million remains subject to national procedures, so the timing of parliamentary and budget approvals also counts. The United Kingdom has announced £17 million, according to Envirotec.
The conference falls on the opening day of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in the same city. Their last readout listed energy resilience in Ukraine among the topics discussed.
Sources
- G7 Évian 2026: Meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Bangkok
- EBRD: Donors back plan to repair Chornobyl’s protective shield
- EBRD: Opening speech by EBRD President at the Chornobyl conference “Restoring Nuclear Safety”
- France, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: Informal G7 foreign ministers’ meeting (September 22, 2026)
- Hromadske: Chernobyl shelter needs €500 million in repairs
- Envirotec: UK pledges £17m for Chernobyl shelter repairs
