At the end of October, Chornobyl NPP specialists participated in an international workshop on Safe Enclosure of Graphite Power Reactors held in Lyon, France. The event was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) together with the Electricité de France (EDF), namely with its Deconstruction and Waste Projects Department (DP2D).

The purpose of the workshop was to study international experience in implementing safe enclosure of graphite power reactors, to exchange knowledge about dismantling of shut down equipment and systems and about waste management in nuclear engineering industry, as well as to discuss current challenges in the area of nuclear safety.

A technical tour to the sites of Bugey NPP and of the facility for conditioning and storage of activated waste (ICEDA) contributed much to the fact that the workshop became a platform for discussing the decommissioning strategies that are critically important for Ukraine, in particular in the context of decommissioning of the Chornobyl NPP power units that use RBMK power reactors with graphite moderator.

The workshop attendees noted that the event allowed them to find out more about the best practices of France, Italy, United Kingdom, which have significant experience in graphite reactors decommissioning (for example, at Bugey, Chinon, Saint-Laurent, Latina, Garigliano, Bradwell, Trawsfynydd  NPPs and others).

The issues of dismantling and long-term storage technologies, waste management and radiation protection were discussed. Particular attention was focused on the impact of the external factors, such as russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, on the safety of nuclear facilities and on the need to strengthen international cooperation to support Ukraine under these circumstances.

"Participation in this workshop is not only sharing the experience, but also a step towards enhancing the nuclear safety in Ukraine. We received valuable insights that will help improve our regulatory approaches and practices at our nuclear power plants," commented one of the delegation members.