To repair the Chernobyl arch, donors confirmed €278 million in commitments. Fifteen donors announced their participation at a conference held in Paris on Monday, 9 November 2026. The total need is at least EUR 500 million. The mobilization thus remains incomplete to restore this protection of the reactor destroyed in 1986, damaged by a drone strike in February 2025.
Benjamin Haddad, French Delegate Minister responsible for Europe, presented this review at the end of the meeting. The amount pledged represents financial commitments, not confirmation of full payments. The Minister indicated that further contributions could be added during the day, according to a news agency.
Repairing the Chernobyl arch: incomplete financing
On the basis of the minimum need of EUR 500 million, at least EUR 222 million remains to be mobilised. Confirmed promises therefore represent just over half of the funding sought. The total was previously EUR 260 million. The gap between these two balance sheets is 18 million, without allowing this to be attributed to a particular donor.
This distinction avoids confusing national announcements with the additional amount obtained at the conference. A publicly announced contribution on Monday may already be included, in whole or in part, in the total previously recorded. Available figures describe a statement of commitments, not a complete breakdown of new contributions.
The meeting was held in Bercy, co-chaired by France, Ukraine and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Its programme included a presentation of technical needs, the restoration strategy and international contributions. This conference is part of the French Presidency of the G7.
France increases its contribution to 40 million
Roland Lescure, French Minister of Economy, announced an additional contribution of €30 million. It adds to the 10 million already earmarked for preliminary studies. France’s participation thus amounts to €40 million, according to its press reports.
The Minister set the goal of raising all funding by spring 2027. He also called for broadening the circle of contributors. The G7 countries had announced their collective commitment at the October meeting of finance ministers in Bangkok.
Funding and work follow two different timelines. Next spring is the goal of financial mobilization. For the rehabilitation of the building, the development bank has retained a complete restoration by 2030.
Restore two protective functions
The metal arch covers the remains of the number 4 reactor and the old sarcophagus built after the 1986 accident. It must contain radioactive material. It must also allow for the safe dismantling of the initial structure, which has become unstable.
The strike of 14 February 2025 damaged the arch’s inner and outer envelopes and essential systems. This damage compromised both of his main functions. France and the development bank attribute this strike to a Russian drone.
The restoration is therefore not limited to closing a visible breach in the roof. It must restore its containment capabilities and means of intervention to the whole. The estimate of at least EUR 500 million remains a preliminary assessment of the necessary repairs.
The timing also responds to the risk of corrosion of the metal structure. The aim is to preserve a work designed for a period of 100 years. The Development Bank coordinates international efforts to re-establish its operations and bring together the resources still lacking.
The Paris announcements do not mean that a new radioactive leak was found this Monday. In its assessment published after the February 2025 strike, the International Atomic Energy Agency had indicated that radiation levels at the site and outside had remained normal. This finding described the situation after the attack; it does not constitute a radiological measure of 9 November 2026.
At the end of the conference, the next item to follow is the confirmation of additional contributions and their integration into the financing of repairs.
Photo of illustration: Chernobyl arch on October 13, 2017, before the damage of 2025. Tim Porter, via Wikimedia Commons; contrast of the Commons version modified by Osepu. Photo kept whole, resized proportionally and surrounded by a Libnanews dressing. Source file and credits. Photo and visual adaptation under cC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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