The project is financed from IAEA Technical Cooperation fund and its budget can be varied or redistributed if necessary.

Project Objective:

Assistance in Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) decommissioning and the Shelter object transformation into environmentally safe system, as well as creation of Comprehensive National Radioactive Waste Management Program and Action Plan.

Completion status:

Within the period 2016-2017, the project activity was focused on the crucial for ChNPP problems of Radwaste Management, particularly Liquid Radioactive Waste, radioactively contaminated water and ion-exchange resins and on supporting of the work implementation during the Chornobyl NPP Final shutdown and preservation stage. During the two years, 13 expert missions, workshops and meetings were organized in accordance with the agreed work plan, attended by more than 200 specialists, mainly from Chernobyl nuclear power plant, NPP Safety Problems Institute, SNRIU, SSR Institute “Chornobyl Center”, and others. 19 specialists took part in ten International conferences and workshops where they had the opportunity not only to study the existing best practices, but also to share ChNPP’s developments in field of decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management.

List of activities performed:

The results obtained, their impact on the industry:

The work in field of RAW management is aimed on creation of an effective system for different types waste management at Chornobyl NPP. In particular, it is very important from the point of view of resource saving to select the technologies for salt water treatment without evaporation method. At present Chornobyl NPP uses an evaporation scheme for the radioactive waters purification, designed for the Unit in operation. It is necessary to select the technologies allowing an effective Chornobyl NPP radioactive waters processing using the other methods. After the technology selection it is necessary to perform pilot tests to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technology and its suitability for use at ChNPP. During the project implementation, alternative purification methods were considered and technical specification for the pilot facility was developed. Work continuation is planned within the new project for 2018-2019.

Expert support is provided and further research is underway to select options for secondary waste management, obtained from the facility for RAW purification from transuranic elements (TUE). This is continuation of the activity launched in 2012-2015, within which a pilot facility for the liquid radioactive waste purification from transuranium elements and organics was created and technical specifications were developed, which were used as a basis for the industrial facility in the EC project U4.01/11C aimed on the industrial facility creation. Now work is under way to find solutions to manage a secondary waste from this facility.

Significant efforts within the project were aimed to support Chornobyl NPP decommissioning, in particular, expert assessment of the revised "ChNPP decommissioning program" in terms of compliance with IAEA recommendations, workshop for studying of successful international practices for reuse of territory and plans for Chornobyl NPP site and repurposing of existing buildings and facilities for industrial development in the field of radioactively contaminated materials, radioactive waste and SNF management. Developed by IAEA expert group proposals and recommendations for ChNPP plans will form the basis for Chornobyl NPP site industrial development optimization and its integration in the Ukrainian nuclear complex.  

The project is financed from the funds of the European Union in the framework of the Programme “Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 2011. Part II”.

The Project general objective:

The Project objective is to improve safety and economic efficiency during management of all types of radioactive waste in Ukraine and, particularly, orientation of all kinds of works to minimize waste generation. Besides that, there is a long-term goal, i.e. continuous and safe disposal.

The Project objectives are as follows:

1. Optimization of the national infrastructure (transportation flow chart of radioactive waste management)
2. Investigation of radioactive waste burial and temporary storage sites in the Chornobyl exclusion zone
3. Comprehensive safety assessment of radioactive waste management facilities in the Chornobyl exclusion zone

The SSE ChNPP is the Recipient under Project U4.01/10C: the Optimization of the national transportation and handling infrastructure for radioactive waste management. The Project objective is to enhance safety at all stages of radioactive waste management in Ukraine through optimizing the national transportation and handling infrastructure.

To the extent applicable to the SSE ChNPP as the Recipient, the main tasks of the Project are as follows:

1. Recommendations for optimization and harmonization of the national transportation and handling infrastructure for RAW
2. Detailed designs for RAW standard containers
3. Draft designs of equipment for RAW management and transportation
4. Dissemination of project results and preparation of final report

The following project results were achieved:

The document "Recommendations for optimization and harmonization of the National infrastructure (transportation and technological scheme) for RAW" was developed.

"Technical Designs for standard RAW containers" and "Preliminary designs of the equipment for RAW processing and transportation" were developed. Also the following documents were developed:
- Explanatory Note for Detailed design: “Development of design documentation on container for liquid RAW management”
- Explanatory Note for Draft design: “Development of design documentation on shielded screen for RAW management”
- Explanatory Note for Detailed design: “Development of design documentation on reinforced-concrete container V=1.3 cubic meters in volume for RAW transportation, storage and disposal”
- Explanatory Note for Detailed design: “Development of design documentation on 20-foot steel container for RAW management”
- Explanatory Note for Detailed design: “Development of design documentation on redesigned reinforced-concrete container V=3.0 cubic meters in volume (analogue of KTZ-3.0, KZ-3.0) for RAW transportation, storage and disposal”
- Explanatory Note for Detailed design: “Development of design documentation on redesigned reinforced-concrete container V=2.25 cubic meters in volume for RAW transportation, storage and disposal”
- Explanatory Note for Draft design: “Development of design documentation on auxiliary equipment for RAW management”
- Explanatory Note for Draft design: “Development of design documentation on standard attachment unit to fix a reinforced-concrete container at mechanical transport vehicle”

Project implementation impact:

Ensuring functioning of the infrastructure for solid radioactive waste processing, which is necessary for the Chornobyl NPP decommissioning.

The Project is funded by the European Union under the Program “Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 2011. Part II”.

Objective of the Project:

The common objective of the Project, a part of which is the Services Contract No.NSI/2014/348-291 dated 01.09.2014, is to establish the industrial facility for purification of the Shelter water and ChNPP liquid radioactive waste from dust-suppressing compound emulsions to the levels enabling to treat these wastes in the future at the Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant (LRTP) and also to reduce concentration of transuranium elements to the levels enabling to perform near-surface disposal of final product from the LRTP.

Implementation stages:

- Development of design documentation (including complete set of safety-based documents) of the industrial-scale facility for removal of TUE and DSC emulsion from water coming from the Shelter Object and from evaporator concentrate (hereafter, industrial purification facility);
- Assistance during expert review of the design documentation;
- Development of technical and tender documentation for delivery and assembling of the industrial purification facility;
- Development of conceptual design for secondary radioactive waste management.

The following Project results were achieved:

The Design of an industrial facility for purification ChNPP’s water and liquid radioactive waste from transuranic elements (TUE) and organic compounds (IPF LRW), including the Safety Analysis Report (SAR), were developed.

Based on the expert report of CS "Ukrgosstroiekspertiza" dated December 16, 2016 No. 00-1147-16 / 13, the IPF LRW Design was approved by SSE ChNPP Decree No. 57, dated January 26, 2017.

The Expert Report of the State Expertise of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of IPF LRW Design and SAR was obtained. According to the State Expertise conclusion, the main design decisions generally meet the Nuclear and Radiation Safety requirements.

The Detailed Technical specification for the Project Phase II implementation and Tender dossier were developed and agreed.

The Conceptual Design for the IPF LRW secondary waste processing was developed and agreed.

Impact of the project:

Implementation of the project as a whole will have a positive impact on improvement of the safety and cost-effectiveness of Radioactive Waste Management at the Chornobyl NPP and, in particular, radioactive waste minimization.

The IPF LRW creation will allow further processing of the drainage water and liquid radioactive waste at the LRTP, and to reduce TUE concentration to the levels allowing the LRTP final product near-surface storage.

Implementation of the Project as a whole in the long term is one of the elements of the "National program of ChNPP decommissioning and Shelter object transformation into ecologically safe system".

The Project was funded by the European Union in the framework of the Annual Nuclear Safety Action Programme 2007.

Project objective:

Providing support to the ChNPP in licensing and maintaining control over the performance of “hot” tests for ICSRM commissioning.

Project results:

Support was provided to the Recipient in the performance of the first and second stages of “hot” tests of the ICSRM facilities: Facility for Retrieval of Solid Radioactive Waste and Solid Radioactive Waste Processing Plant.

Maintenance and calibration of the Neutron Monitoring System (NMS) and Drum Monitoring System (DMS) were completed.

The Final Safety Analysis Report was reviewed.

The project was funded by the European Union in the framework of the Annual Action Program for Nuclear Safety 2008 - Part II.

Project objective:

Improving the Radioactive Waste Management, generated as a result of the Nuclear Energy Facilities (Nuclear Power Plants) operation in Ukraine and Chornobyl NPP decommissioning.

Project tasks:

- recommendations development to minimize RAW generation for each of the operating NPPs at the operational stage and for Chornobyl NPP;
- RAW Management System improvement and optimization at the operating NPPs of Ukraine;
- conceptual design of information and analytical system for NNEGC "Energoatom" RAW Management.

The following outcomes were obtained within the Project:

• recommendations for waste processing, conditioning and storage taking into account the specificity of each NPP;
• general and specific recommendations for individual NPPs to minimize waste generated during NPP operation, organizational and technical approaches to waste minimization;
• recommendations for introduction of an integrated Radioactive Waste accounting and control system at operating NPPs;
• Terms of Reference was developed to develop and implement an integrated information and analytical system for RAW accounting and control in the State Enterprise "NNEGC "Energoatom";
• recommendations on decontamination technologies for metal components, building structures, large-size equipment and other materials, liquid waste purification, analysis of the decontamination technologies characteristics and "cost-benefit" analysis was performed;
• concept of large-dimension contaminated components transportation;
• training programs on waste minimization procedures, waste processing and conditioning methods were developed; Training of the Beneficiary / End User staff in accordance with the developed programs was carried out.

Project was funded by the European Union in the framework of the Annual Action Program for Nuclear Safety 2010 - Part II.

Overall Project objective:

Safety and cost-effectiveness improvement in all types of Radioactive Materials Management in Ukraine and, in particular, ensure the Radioactive Waste minimization during all types of activities by exempting from regulatory control.

SSE ChNPP is the Project Recipient in part of: U4.01/10E:

Procedure and methodology for the materials release from regulatory control.

Project Objective:

Support for the safe and cost-effective radioactive materials management by minimizing generated RAW, requiring disposal in high-tech engineered facilities by releasing materials from regulatory control.

The main project tasks, for which SSE ChNPP is a Recipient:

Development of release procedure (procedures). Technical Specification for the pilot facility for the materials release from regulatory control at Chornobyl NPP.

Development of the tender documentation package for the facility creation at Chornobyl to release materials from regulatory control.

Development of release procedures for use at Chornobyl NPP.

Personnel training and technology transfer.

Dissemination of the project results and final report.

It was performed within the Project:

A building was identified to locate a pilot facility for materials release from regulatory control.
The list of procedures for release has been identified and agreed with SNRIU.
The SNRIU "non-objection" in principal was submitted to JSO for use at Chornobyl NPP a stationary facility and measuring equipment for the materials release from regulatory control.
The Contractor has prepared and sent to EC a package of Tender documents for Tendering and Contract awarding to supply a pilot facility for the materials release from regulatory control at Chornobyl NPP.
The Tender was held and Contract No. NSI/2015/365 776 "Creation of a facility for the materials release from regulatory control at Chornobyl NPP" was awarded.
State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) issued a positive conclusion for the document "Methodology of Radioactive Materials Release from Regulatory Control" based on the results of the State expertise. The methodology establishes general methodological provisions, based on which Chornobyl NPP and other enterprises performing practical activities in the field of Nuclear Energy use will be able to develop their own specific standards to release materials from regulatory control.
Draft procedures for the materials release from regulatory control to use at Chornobyl NPP have been developed and submitted to SNRIU for review.