Ukraine’s Nuclear Industry

Nuclear power of Ukraine dates back to 1977, when the first Chornobyl NPP unit was put into operation. According to the plans of nuclear power development 9 nuclear power plants had to be built in the former USSR at the territory of Ukraine. In the period from 1977 till 1989 it was planned to put into operation 16 units with total capacity of 14800MW at 5 nuclear power plants, which were Zaporizhzhya NPP, Khmelnytsky NPP, Chornobyl NPP and South-Ukraine NPP.

Increasing demand for electricity encouraged the fast construction of nuclear power units: 10 units, 8 of which with capacity of 1000 MW (four VVER-1000 reactors and four RBMK-1000 reactors) were in the operation at the time of technogenic accident at the fourth unit of Chornobyl NPP in April 1986 in Ukraine. From 1986 and till 1990 6 nuclear power units with the capacity of 1000MW each were put into operation: three units at Zaporizhzhya NPP and one unit for each nuclear power plant, which are South-Ukraine, Rivne and Khmelnytsky NPP. However after Chortnobyl NPP accident, In August, 1990 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared a moratorium on the construction and commissioning of new nuclear power units , which resulted in suspension of the construction of new units at Khmelnytsky, Zaporizhzhya and Rivne NPP.

After Verkhovna Rada called off the moratorium, the questions concerning the renewing and restructuring of uncompleted units arose. Construction and putting into operation were important first of all to compensate for the capacity of the units, which had exhausted their lifetime, replacement of units, which did not meet current safety requirements.

In 1993 operation at 6th unit of Zaporizhzhya NPP, 4th unit of Rivne NPP and 2nd unit of Khmelnytsky NPP were resumed.

In October, 1995 it was energy startup of the 6th unit of Zaporizhzhya NPP. Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant with installed capacity of 6 million kW became the biggest one in Europe.

On October 17, 1996 the national enterprise National Energy Generating Company – “Energoatom” was established according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Chornobyl NPP is the first Ukrainian nuclear power plant, the operation of which was suspended till the end of the design lifetime. Nowadays three units of the plant with RBMK-1000 reactors are at the stage of decommissioning; particularly 2nd unit from 1991 after the fire in turbine hall, 1st unit from 1996 according to the decision of Ukrainian Government, 3rd unit was stopped in the end of 2000.

According to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers dated April 25, 2001 № 399 Chornobyl NPP was separated from the NEGC “Energoatom”. It was assigned a status of national specialized enterprise.

After the shutdown of Chornobyl NPP, in Ukraine there are 4 nuclear power plants with VVER reactors in operation: Zaporizhzhya NPP, Rivne NPP, Khmelnytsky NPP and South-Ukraine NPP, here 15 nuclear energy units with installed capacity of 13835 MW operate.

The history of the state nuclear regulation authority of Ukraine

In December 1991, nuclear power enterprises were combined into the Ukratomenergoprom Concern, which in January 1993 was converted into the State Nuclear Energy Committee of Ukraine – Derzhkomatom of Ukraine.

According to the President’s Decree of 15 December 1994, the State Nuclear Energy Committee of Ukraine and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine were liquidated to make way for the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety. The Chief State Nuclear Safety Inspectorate was created in the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety for direct monitoring of nuclear and radiation safety area. In 1999, a separate unit named the State Nuclear Regulatory Administration of Ukraine was formed in the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine.

On 15 December 1999, according to the President’s Decree “On Changes in the Structure of Central Executive Bodies”, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety and the State Nuclear Regulatory Administration were liquidated to create a new executive body – the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine. The Ministry established two subdivisions: Nuclear Regulatory Department and Chief State Nuclear Safety Inspectorate.

In December 2000, according to the President’s Decree “On State Regulation of Nuclear and Radiation Safety”, the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine was created as a central executive authority with a special status was created instead of the Chief State Nuclear Safety Inspectorate and the Nuclear Regulatory Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

According to the President’s Decree of 6 April 2011 “On Provision on the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate”, the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine was renamed into the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate (SNRIU).

The basic SNRIU tasks are as follows:

1) develop and implement state policy in nuclear safety area;

2) ensure state regulation of nuclear safety;

3) fulfill duties of the competent authority on physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities in accordance with the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities; on safe transport of radioactive material in accordance with rules of nuclear and radiation safety during transport of radioactive material; on emergency warning and notification in accordance with the Convention on the Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident.

Unit №	Type reactor	Installed power capacity (MW)	Start date	End of the project lifetime
SS “ZAPORIZHZHYA NPP”
1	VVER 1000/320	1000	10.12.1984	23.12.2015 (extended till 23.12.2025)
2	VVER 1000/320	1000	22.07.1985	19.02.2016 (extended till 19.02.2026)
3	VVER 1000/320	1000	10.12.1986	05.03.2017 (extended till 05.03.2027)
4	VVER 1000/320	1000	18.12.1987	04.04.2018 (extended till 04.04.2028)
5	VVER 1000/320	1000	14.08.1989	27.05.2020
6	VVER 1000/320	1000	19.10.1995	21.10.2026
SS “RIVNE NPP”
1	VVER 440/213	420	22.12.1980	22.12.2010 (extended till 22.12.2030)
2	VVER 440/213	415	22.12.1981	22.12.2011 (extended till 22.12.2031)
3	VVER 1000/320	1000	21.12.1986	11.12.2017 (extended till 11.12.2037)
4	VVER 1000/320	1000	10.10.2004	07.06.2035
SS “SOUTH-UKRAINE NPP”
1	VVER 1000/302	1000	31.12.1982	02.12.2013 (extended till 02.12.2023)
2	VVER 1000/338	1000	06.01.1985	12.05.2015 (extended till 31.12.2025)
3	VVER 1000/320	1000	20.09.1989	10.02.2020
SS “KHMELNYTSKA NPP”
1	VVER 1000/320	1000	22.12.1987	13.12.2028
2	VVER 1000/320	1000	08.08.2004	07.09.2035

For a long period of time nuclear power has provided significant part of the general electricity generation in Ukraine (to 60%). Currently, the detailed safety analysis of power units in operation is carried out for all power units. The results of the analysis show that:

• The power units are safely operated with acceptable level of risk. Safety requirements of the reactor units, which are envisaged by the design, scientific and technical documentation and international practices, are fulfilled in sufficient scope.
• Detected safety deficiencies and deviations from the requirements of normative documents allow to operate the power units in the design framework and do not require shutdown of power units in order to rectify them.

Sources:

1. NNEGC “Energoatom”
2. State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine

State Register of Radiation Sources

The State Register of Radiation Sources (Register) – integrated state system of accounting and control of radiation sources, the activity that involves radiation sources not exempted from the regulatory control. The Register includes information on radiation sources generated at the territory of Ukraine, imported from and exported abroad. Also, the Register includes the complete data on the owners of radiation sources.            

The Register was developed to support the regulatory activity of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) and is operated on the basis of the detached subdivision of Ukrainian State Industrial Enterprise “IZOTOP” – Central Register Center and corresponding Regional Centers. The SNRIU coordinates the Register activity.

At the territory of Ukraine the Register is one of the main tools of realization of the state guarantees with regard to implementation of international measures on safety and radiation protection of population.

In 2015-2016, the Register Іnformation System was successfully modernized by the employees of the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS) and the Register experts. This information system is operated starting from September 2004. The project was implemented in the framework of technical assistance of Swedish Government.

The modernization of the Register Information System included: improvement and simplification of radiation source registration forms; purchasing of modern computers and office equipment; installation of operational software; modernization of current application software.

In 2015, the SNRIU together with the Register successfully completed the improvement of new radiation source registration forms.

In spite of the difficulties with government funding, the SNRIU asked for assistance of Swedish Body on Radiation Safety (SSM). In the framework of this assistance SSM representatives supplied in Ukraine state-of-the-art computer equipment for subsequent modernization of the Register. Ukraine received: server, 10 personnel computers with set Windows 7 operational system and Office Pro Plus 2013, 11 monitors, 8 multifunctional devices, printer, 13 uninterrupted power supply units, consumables, etc.

In 2015-2016, the SSTC NRS experts performed all the works related to installation, testing, and introduction of new hardware and software, modernization of Register Information System application software. Besides, SSTC NRS experts maintained the continued operation of the Register under modernization: radiation sources were registered and the reference data were available for the interested organizations permanently and in any time.

Currently, the regulatory pressure on radiation source users is considerably reduced due to modernization of the Register Information System and introduction of simplified register forms. Up to 2015, the registration form took six pages, after its simplification – one and a half. It contributes to more competent filling of the forms by radiation source owners, the number of registration refusals caused by poor quality of filling of registration forms was minimized.

Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses

The decision to establish the Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses was made in late 1990s.

In 1999 and later in 2001, two Cabinet Resolutions, No. 406 and No. 379, were adopted to approve the procedure for establishing the Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine was responsible for coordinating the establishment of the system.  

Since the Ministry of Health of Ukraine had not established the Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses from 1999 to 2013, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved changes to Article 18 of the Law of Ukraine “On Human Protection against Ionizing Radiation” at the end of 2012. In accordance with these changes, the doses for personnel and the public would have to be determined, accounted for, and controlled through a Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses. The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine is responsible for the establishment and implementation of this system.

In 2014, this function was included into the Statute of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, approved by Cabinet Resolution No. 363 dated 20 August 2014. In fact, SNRIU acquired the above-mentioned function only at the end of 2014.

At the end of 2014, the first national intercalibration of the individual dose measurement and monitoring laboratories was organized and performed jointly by the National Medical Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and SNRIU. The event was organized to evaluate the quality of individual dose measurement in Ukraine. Upon completion, a list of laboratories that had successfully passed the intercalibration was submitted to the corresponding licensees.

In 2014, SNRIU also developed draft Cabinet Resolution “On Approval of the Procedure for Establishing the Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses”.

This draft required revision to comply with international and European radiation safety standards. In particular, it was needed to implement new approaches to national systems for control and accounting of individual doses. These are Articles 41-44, 51 and Annex X of the Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom dated 5 December 2013 and paras. 19-25 of the International Basic Safety Standard: Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources, General Safety Requirements Part 3, published in 2014.

In accordance with the above international requirements, the competence of the regulatory bodies includes the establishment and support of national dose registers for the personnel working in zones affected by ionizing radiation resulting from nuclear energy activities. Such a register would contribute to the optimization of occupational doses.

In compliance with the European and international safety standards, the licensees and registrants are responsible for control of occupational doses, radiation monitoring at workplaces, drawing up a list of persons that undergo individual dose monitoring (IDM) and IDM data storage. Other organizations, institutions (measurement laboratories) may be in charge for providing consultation and engineering and guidance support for determination (measurement and calculation) of occupational doses.

National registers of occupational doses should also cover the accounting of doses for personnel who work at plants with natural radionuclide background, aircraft crews, individuals temporarily involved in activities carried out in zones subject to ionizing radiation (employees of coal, iron and uranium mines, construction companies, state inspectors and others).

Current Situation

The national legislation is currently revised to comply with international and European standards, including this area.  

To comply more fully with the European legislation, SNRIU has studied in detail the experience in establishing the corresponding dose registries of other countries. Currently, national dose registers have been established and implemented in Turkey, Lithuania, Greece, Portugal, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia. As for the number of registered persons, the closest to Ukraine is Greece, where 32,610 persons have been registered. According to unofficial data, there are about 40,000 such persons in Ukraine.

Lithuania’s experience also can serve as an example for Ukraine, where a Unified Register of Occupational Doses and Radiation Sources has been in operation since 1999.

In conditions of limited resources, the most effective and feasible way at the initial stage to solve the issue of unified accounting and registration of doses may be extension of functions and authorities of the State Register for Radiation Sources.

Besides the optimization of occupational doses, being the main objective of establishing the Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses, one should keep in mind other, no less important priorities.

First, they include the introduction of a unified guidance approach to determine and assess individual occupational doses in Ukraine and ensure the quality of measurements, which will improve radiation protection of nuclear facilities and staff working environment. Second, they focus on the achievement of the most reliable results of individual dose monitoring by developing the technical capabilities and competences of measurement laboratories. Third, it is important to further develop the Unified State System for Control and Accounting of Individual Doses to account for doses for critical groups of the public, employees of plants with natural radionuclide background and radon irradiation, and aircraft crews. As for the latter, these are new constituents of the international radiation protection system that are still to be implemented in Ukraine”.

The solution of these issues requires consolidated and joint efforts of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, National Medical Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, as well as other institutions, scientists and professionals in this area.

Uatom.org Editorial Board

Pursuant to Articles 19-20 of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management and Articles 7-8 of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, Ukraine has undertaken to:

• establish and maintain a regulatory and legislative framework to ensure the safety of nuclear energy, providing for: appropriate national safety requirements and regulations; a system of licensing with regard to nuclear energy use; prohibition of nuclear energy use without a license; a system of appropriate institutional and regulatory control and documentation and reporting; enforcement of applicable regulations and license terms; clear separation between the functions of bodies involved in different stages of spent fuel and radioactive waste management;
• establish and designate a regulatory body entrusted with the implementation of the legislative and regulatory framework and provided with adequate authority, competence, and financial and human resources to fulfill its assigned responsibilities;
• take all appropriate steps to ensure effective separation between the regulatory and other functions.

Therefore, the nuclear regulation system provides for the following main constituents:

• legislative framework which regulates activities on nuclear energy use;
• infrastructure of the state regulation of safe use of nuclear energy.

 

LEGISLATION BASE IN THE FIELD OF NUCLEAR ENERGY USEMENT

Ukraine gained its independence in 1991 and thus acquired a powerful arsenal of nuclear weapons and five nuclear power plants operating 14 units. From the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a large number of organizations and industrial enterprises that used radiation sources, enterprises that employed radioisotope devices, and several radioactive ore mining and milling plants. However, there was no legal framework to regulate the relations in nuclear energy. This was the reason for Ukraine to start the active development of its own nuclear legislation in the first years of its independence.

As the first step in creating the legal framework in the area of nuclear energy, 25 January 1994 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Concept of State Nuclear Safety Regulation and Nuclear Energy Management in Ukraine. It set the basis for the state safety regulation in the area of nuclear energy and basis for the state safety regulation in the area of nuclear energy and basis principles of the nuclear legislation, as follows:

• priority of people protection against impact of radiation;
• prohibition to conduct certain activities in the area of nuclear energy without a license;
• state supervision in the area of nuclear energy utilization.

The next step was adopting by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the Law of Ukraine “On Use of nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety” on 8 February 1995, which was a basic law in regard to the safe use of nuclear energy and radiation safety. It was the first law to establish the priority of human and environmental safety, rights and duties of the public in the area of nuclear energy, regulate the use of nuclear facilities and radiation sources, etc. in addition, the Law stated rights of citizens and their associations to get information on nuclear energy and radiation safety and to participate in shaping police in this area, socioeconomic living and working conditions nearby uranium ore mining plants, nuclear installations and radioactive waste management facilities, and citizen’s rights to be recompensed for the harm caused the adverse effect of ionizing radiation in the use of nuclear energy.

This Law also outlined the competences of authorities and regulators in the area of nuclear energy and radiation safety, established state safety regulation in the area of nuclear energy, determined the legal status of legal and natural entities that undertook activities in nuclear energy and radiation safety, identified requirements for the location, construction, commissioning and decommissioning of nuclear installations and radioactive waste management facilities, applied access control procedure at sites where nuclear installations and radioactive waste management facilities were located, regulated the operator’s liability for nuclear damage, enforced the liability for legislative incompliance in the area of nuclear energy and radiation safety, etc.

This Law promoted further development of nuclear legislation in Ukraine. In particular, the following laws were adopted: “On Radioactive Waste Management” (30 June 1995); “On Uranium Ore Mining and Milling” (19 November 1997); “On Human Protection against Ionizing Radiation” (14 January 1998); “On General Principles of Further Operation and Decommissioning of the Chornobyl NPP and Transformation of the Ruined Forth Unit of this NPP into an Ecologically Safe System” (11 December 1998); “On Permit Activity in the Area of Nuclear Energy” (11 January 2000); “On Physical Protection of Nuclear Installations, Nuclear Materials, Radioactive Waste, other Ionizing Radiation Sources” (19 October 2000); “On Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and Its Financial Support” (13 December 2001); “On Setting Nuclear Safety issues” (24 June 2004); “On Procedure for Making Decisions on Siting, Design and Construction of Nuclear Installations and radioactive Waste Management Facilities of National Significance” (8 September 2005) and other regulations.

The national nuclear legislation also includes a number of international treaties entered into by Ukraine. Primarily, it is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), entered into by Ukraine as a Non-Nuclear-Weapon State Party in December 1994. Article 3 of the NPT obliges each Non-Nuclear-Weapon State Party to accept safeguards on non-proliferation of nuclear material as set the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ukraine entered into such an agreement on 21 September 1995 and the Verkhovna Rada retified it on 17 December 1997.

It also includes the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage of 1963, which puts the absolute liability for nuclear damage on the operator. This Convention entered into force for Ukraine on 12 July 1996.

Ukraine also obeys the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (26 September 1986), Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident  (30December 1986), Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (5 September 1993), Convention on Nuclear Safety (17 December 1997), Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (20 April 2000).

The national nuclear legislation also includes regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine that establish law implementation mechanisms, regulations of central executive authority, rules and standards that identify safety criteria and requirements for nuclear facilities, ionizing radiation sources and terms and technical requirements to regulate the safety of operations and procedures in nuclear energy.

INFRASTRUCTURE OF STATE NUCLEAR AND RADIATION SAFETY REGULATION

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) is the main competent central executive authority that regulates nuclear and radiation safety in Ukraine.

As a regulator, the SNRIU is independent of organizations using nuclear energy. According to international requirements, the SNRIU is responsible for issuing official permits, taking regulatory actions, carring out reviews and assessments, conducting inspections and applying sanctions, as well as implementing safety principles, criteria, provisions and guidelines.

The basis functions of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the SNRCU) in regulating the safety of nuclear energy are to:

– establish safety criteria, requirements and conditions for nuclear energy use (rule-making);
– issue permits and licenses for activities in this area based on documents submitted by a licensee to confirm the compliance of his activities with safety requirements (safety assessment and licensing);
– ensure state supervision over compliance with legislation, standards, rules and regulations on nuclear and radiation safety apply sanctions envisaged by legislation in case of violations (supervision and enforcement).

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine applies the optimization principle in its activity aimed at state regulation of safe nuclear energy use. At the same time, the optimization of state regulation in the sphere of safe nuclear energy use is considered not a deregulation that means cancellation or reduction of regulation, but finding an optimal level of state regulation taking into account graded approach to the regulation of different types of activity related to specific installations (sources) according to their nuclear and radiation hazard. The results of this work as a whole will positively affect the state regulation, since SNRIU resources from deregulation will strengthen the regulation of those activities requiring such regulation given the high level of nuclear and radiation hazard, and thus the state regulation in the sphere of safe nuclear energy use will be optimized.

More detailed information on the SNRIU activity can be found at the SNRIU website

Power Generating Units №1, №2, and №3 of the Chornobyl NPP

Chornobyl NPP units 1, 2 and 3 are at the stage of decommissioning. The stage of final closure and shutdown lasts by 2028. After this, the safe storage stage for units is planned by 2045, and all equipment, unstable civil structures, some unit structures are dismantled, and the site will be cleaned by 2064. The Shelter over the destroyed unit 4 is under transformation into an environmentally safe system.

The Shelter and the New Safe Confinement (NSC Arch)

The Shelter construction over destroyed unit 4 enables to protect the environment against release of radioactive substances, and people, especially those who worked at the Chornobyl NPP site, against radiation. However, very tight construction deadlines under high radiation levels, the use of remote methods, insufficient strength of the undamaged structures at unit 4, which became the basis for the civil structures of the Shelter, significant amount of radioactive materials and fuel inside identified the presence of numerous risks and the need to minimize them.

On 12 March 2001, the Interdepartmental Government Commission for the Integrated Solving of Chornobyl NPP Issues adopted a Strategy for the Shelter transformation into an environmentally safe system, which will be implemented in three stages. Stage 1 is the stabilization of civil structures of the Shelter; stage 2 is the construction of the New Safe Confinement; stage 3 is the transformation into an environmentally safe system.

Stabilization of the civil structures was gradually implemented from 1998 to 2008; the construction of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) was started in April 2012. In 2016, the NSC arch was installed in the design position above the Shelter. During 2018, Chornobyl NPP took measures to complete construction, installation and electrical mounting activities of Startup Complex 1 of the New Safe Confinement (CS-1), conduct individual and comprehensive testing of NSC systems and equipment in full extent, complete the assembly and personnel training for operation and maintenance of NSC SC-1, put into operation a backup electric boiler room to ensure heat supply to the NSC, obtain an individual permit for operation of civil structures under Chornobyl Stage II, which perform the functions of the new safe confinement enclosure after their strengthening and sealing.

All electrical installation activities, mounting of ventilation systems, installation of a sealing membrane and piping systems have already been completed. Concreting, arrangement of roads and territory, as well as room finishing are ongoing. The total scope of work performed under the NSC contract is 98.5%. An individual permit was obtained for operation of the civil structures under Chornobyl NPP Stage II was obtained. Equipment of the backup electric boiler house was tested to ensure heat supply to the NSC. Percentage of completion is 98%. The implementation of the program for reconstruction of civil structures of parts in deaerator stack and turbine hall in the Shelter, which extend beyond the NSC enclosure, has been started.

Continuous trial operation of the new safe confinement was started on 22 April 2019. During the trial operation, almost all the equipment and systems of the NSC operated in the design mode for 72 hours, which allowed equipment inspection and examination of personnel skills.

The next stage is to develop a package of documents on trial operation results of the arch, after which a permission for trial and commercial operation of the confinement will be obtained, hereinafter the license. These procedures can last about one year. Further, the NSC operation will start for dismantling of unstable structures, first. According to the preliminary plan, its completion is scheduled for 2023. This is the date when the life of the structures constructed to stabilize the old sarcophagus expire.

The final stage should be the creation of an infrastructure for dismantling of unstable structures inside the Shelter, removal of FCMs and radioactive waste for their further management, including disposal.

Liquid radioactive waste treatment plant

A significant amount of liquid radioactive waste with different activity has been accumulated at Chornobyl nuclear power plant over the years of its operation and in mitigation of the consequences resulting from the accident in 1986. The object is constructed. It was commissioned in 2018. The implementation of this facility will ensure reprocessing and conditioning of accumulated and generated radioactive waste.

Industrial complex for solid radioactive waste management

A significant amount of solid radioactive waste with different activity was accumulated at Chornobyl nuclear power plant over the years of its operation and in mitigation of the consequences resulting from the accident in 1986. The facility was constructed and commissioned. The implementation of this facility will allow reprocessing and conditioning of accumulated and generated radioactive waste. 

Wet spent fuel storage facility (ISF-1)

Spent fuel is currently stored at Chornobyl NPP site in a wet spent fuel storage facility (ISF-1), which was commissioned in 1986. ISF-1 lifetime expires at the end of 2025. Therefore, a new dry spent fuel storage facility (ISF-2) was constructed to ensure long-term safe storage of all spent fuel at ChNPP site. Nuclear fuel transport from ISF-1 to ISF-2 will start after ISF-2 commissioning, which is planned for September 2019.

Dry spent fuel storage facility (ISF-2)

ISF-2 is designed to accept, prepare for storage and directly store sent fuel assemblies (SFA) ad additional spent absorbers accumulated at Chornobyl NPP.

ISF-2 will provide acceptance for storage, preparation for storage and storage for over 100 years of more than 21000 RBMK-1000 SFAs (high-power pressure tube reactor) with a capacity of 2500 SFA per year.

ISF-2 consists of two parts:

1. Spent fuel processing facility (SFPF). SFPF is designed to prepare for storage and packaging of about 21 000 SFAs, 2000 additional spent absorbers and over 23000 extension rods from ChNPP units 1, 2, 3 and from ISF-1. The facility is designed to provide a minimum annual productivity for processing of 2500 SFAs or additional spent absorbers.
2. Spent fuel storage area (SFSA). SFSA performs the following operations:

•  transport of canisters filled with sent fuel from SFPF to SFSA by means of the canister manipulation and transport system (CMTS)
•  canister loading into horizontal concrete storage modules (CSM) with the design resource of 100 years
• storage of canisters with nuclear fuel during 10 years.

ISF-2 construction is funded by the Nuclear Safety Account of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.