KIEV, July 31 – France's Novarka Concern, the general constructor of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at Chernobyl nuclear power plant, has joined together the two halves of the arch of the NSC, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development reported.

"The operation to slide the two arches together required 24 precise connections on the 28,000 ton structure to be aligned within millimeters of each other across the full 260-metre arch span. Operation 'skid back' was successfully completed within a day and work is now focusing on adjusting and tightening nearly 1,000 bolts to seal the two halves together," the report said.