Stress tests

On 25 March 2011, in response to the events at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the European Council of Ministers made a decision to revise the safety of all nuclear power plants located in the EU by conducting the so-called stress tests during which the comprehensive and transparent reassessment of risks and safety of the nuclear power plants would be made. The draft Declaration on Stress Tests was prepared by the Western European Nuclear Regulators’ Association (WENRA), and on 13 May 2011 it was finally agreed with and approved by the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG).

VATESI on 27 May 2011  obligated Ignalina NPP to conduct the reassessment of the safety in line with the requirements set forth in the Specification and to submit the respective reports to VATESI for review and evaluation. In accordance with the Specification, during the stress tests the nuclear safety of the finally shut-down Units of Ignalina NPP, the operated spent nuclear fuel storage facilities of dry type and the storage facility that is under construction within the scope of Ignalina NPP decommissioning project (B1 project) had to be verified. On 11 August 2011 Ignalina NPP submitted the Progress Stress Tests Report, and on 25 October 2011 – the Final Stress Tests Report for their review and evaluation by VATESI. 

Based on the information provided in the Ignalina NPP Progress Stress Tests Report and Final Stress Tests Report, VATESI prepared the National Progress Report of Stress Tests, which on 15 September, 2011 was furnished to ENSREG, and the National Final Report of Stress Tests, which on 29 December was also furnished to ENSREG.

The national reports were peer reviewed through a process organized and overseen by ENSREG. Country visits were undertaken as part of the peer review. Such visit of foreign experts took place on 12-15 March 2012 in Lithuania as well. The visit to Ignalina NPP was organized as well as discussions between foreign experts and experts form Ignalina NPP and VATESI. After country visit “Final report: Stress Tests Performed on European Nuclear Power Plants as a Follow-up of the Fukushima Accident. Country peer review of Lithuania” was prepared - it was concluded that there are no factors which require urgent actions to ensure acceptable level of nuclear safety.

The national European regulators and the European Commission as ENSREG have endorsed the peer review report and the recommendations that finalized the stress test review and published a joint statement dated 26 April 2012. According to the ENSREG action plan, which was prepared on 25 July 2012, each national regulator will develop and make public its national action plan associated with post-Fukushima lessons learned and stress tests peer review recommendations and suggestions by the end of 2012. The final content of the national action plan should also take account of relevant output from the extraordinary meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety.

In 2013 the plan of strengthening nuclear safety in Lithuania was prepared by VATESI and was furnished to ENSREG. Thus implementation of safety measures in Ignalina NPP as well as other amendments of national nuclear safety regulation system, which will address the stress tests and their peer review results, would be ensured in a proper way.

At the end of 2014 VATESI submitted the Updated National Action Plan for Lithuania following the Stress Tests performed on European nuclear power plants to European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG). This document represents information about implementation of measures to strengthen nuclear safety in Lithuania and reached results. 

On 24 March 2015 VATESI has updated and approved the Plan of Strengthening Nuclear Safety in Lithuania taking into account lessons learned from Fukushima Daichi accident in Japan. This plan is based on the National Action Plan submitted to European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) and it is agreed with governmental institutions, which are participating in implementation of the plan. The planned measures have to be implemented by 2017.

The Updated Plan of Strengthening Nuclear Safety in Lithuania can be found (in Lithuanian only) here.

On 15 January 2018, VATESI submitted the updated Status Report of Plan of Strengthening Nuclear Safety in Lithuania (Lithuanian National Action Plan) to ENSREG.  All safety improvement measures related to Ignalina NPP Units and Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facilities were completed in 2015.

On 25 May 2018, VATESI submitted the Final Report of Plan of Strengthening Nuclear Safety in Lithuania (Lithuanian National Action Plan) to the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), which was developed after EU “stress tests” and peer-review process following the accident in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The last two Lithuanian National Action Plan’s measures, which were related to improvement of nuclear safety regulations in Lithuania, have been completed in March 2018 after revising the nuclear safety requirements BSR-2.1.2-2010 "General requirements for the safety of nuclear reactors with RBMK-1500 type reactors". There were specified requirements for the safety related systems for the internal and external hazards and the safety of spent fuel, including the assessment of the capabilities of instrumentation equipment for beyond design basis accidents conditions, and the requirements for emergency procedures and the use of technical means for beyond design basis accidents managements.

More information about stress tests:

EU Stress Tests and Follow-up

Updated 25-05-2018