BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: World attention is once again focused on the destructive legacy of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Concerns about its unstable reactor have led 37 governments to pledge donations for desperately needed repairs. CNN's Chris Burns has this report.</s>CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fourteen years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the damaged reactor core remains a potential environmental time bomb. The hastily built protective shell on top of it, a quarter of a million tons of cement, risks cracking and spewing out more radiation into the air, and again contaminating large swathes of Europe. The reactor needs a new protective shell. To help cash-strapped Ukraine build it, countries pledged a total of $715 million at a donors' conference in Berlin. Germany, Britain, and the United States were among countries increasing their contributions during the conference, which drew some 50 countries. The funding falls short by about $50 million, money expected to be raised at another donors' conference in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, at the end of the year. German foreign minister Joschka Fischer said, thanks to the funding, another nuclear nightmare in Europe will be less likely. What paved the way for the extra funding was Ukraine's announcement last month promising to shut down the final operational reactor at Chernobyl on December 15th. Donor nations have been demanding it. Ukraine is still at odds with the west over what to replace Chernobyl with. The attending Ukrainian prime minister, Victor Yushchenko, said his country still intends to complete construction on two new Soviet- style reactors. The German government is pressing the Ukrainians to develop other energy sources. Mr. Fischer said the Chernobyl accident, the worst in the history of nuclear power, helped prompt the German government to reach a plan aimed at shutting down its 19 nuclear plants by 2021. For now at least, there's new hope Chernobyl won't be back to haunt Europe again. Chris Burns, CNN, Berlin.
Chernobyl Time Bomb: World Governments Pledge Donations to Ensure Nuclear Plant Remains Safe