AN INTERNATIONAL BUILDING SITE // Besides this combination of scientific expertise, Eurochemic was also one of the first successes of international cooperation. The project was financed with resources from the 13 participating countries and their private partners, mainly electricity producers. Originally, 21.4 million dollars had been set aside for the construction of the plant. This sum was later increased to 35.75 million dollars. Belgium contributed 14.3% of this sum and with France and Germany it was one of the main financiers of the project. These three countries jointly possessed more than half of the Eurochemic shares. The construction of the plant, which was to take more than six years, was also an international effort. The construction of the various parts of the plant was contracted out to several contractors from the participating countries. It allowed the partners to acquire expertise in the construction of a high-tech nuclear plant. The result was an ultramodern factory, built using the latest building techniques and materials from all corners of Europe. The ‘heart’ of the Eurochemic plant consisted of forty separate cell blocks with concrete walls, varying in thickness from 50 to 150 centimetres depending on the activity that took place there.