Hot Trials Under Way at Nuclear Waste Facility in Lithuania

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Hot trials have begun at a new radioactive waste facility located at Lithuania's Ignalina nuclear power plant, where decommissioning is under way.

The trials are a milestone in the decommissioning of units 1 and 2 of the old plant, which was once considered one of the most dangerous nuclear power stations in Europe. Lithuania agreed to shut the plant in 2009 as part of its accession to the European Union (EU). It is powered by two RBMK-1500 reactors, the same Russian-made reactors used at Chernobyl in Ukraine, the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. The storage facility was originally to have been completed in 2011 but there have been many delays to the project. The International Ignalina Decommissioning Support Fund (IIDSF) was set up in 2001 and is funded mainly by the European Commission and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The trials will show if the Solid Radioactive Waste Management and Storage Facility, constructed by Nukem Technologies GmBH (Alzenau, Germany), performs and complies with new technical and safety requirements of the laws of Lithuania, EU standards and recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Last year, Industrial Info reported that a permit from the State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (Vatesi) allowed hot trials of 10 new storage casks that will store some of the 16,000 used fuel rods from the reactors. Around 190 casks will be needed to store them all for up to 50 years, and each filled cask will weigh 118 tonnes. For additional information, see September 29, 2016, article - Decommissioning Can Begin at Ignalina Nuclear Plant.

Simonas Satunas, vice-minister of energy of Lithuania, said: "As we look ahead, today's celebration is evidence of successful progress towards the decommissioning of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. However, significant challenges lie ahead, and these will require focused leadership and close attention."

Massimo Garribba, director general for energy at the European Commission, commented: "As the main contributor to the IIDSF, the European Commission has always encouraged the parties to find pragmatic solutions to move the project forward. The project contributes to the safe management of radioactive waste. It has been excellent teamwork with a focus on tangible results. We are now looking forward to seeing this facility at work, processing waste."

The CONSTOR RBMK-1500/M2 storage casks for the spent nuclear fuel are reinforced concrete casks, each of which is 4.5 metres high and 2.7 metres in diameter.

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