News

On 15 March 2024 The SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant has launched a public consultation cycle and presented the process of selecting a site for a deep geological repository for radioactive waste in Lithuania to representatives of municipalities.

During the public consultation, information on the establishment of a deep geological repository in Lithuania and the siting process presented so that the public and stakeholders could have access to all the necessary information on the siting process of the deep geological repository. It also invited representatives of municipalities to discuss, engage and participate in decision-making processes from the initial stage of the project, well in advance before any decisions on the siting of the deep geological repository are taken.

The cycle of public consultations will seek to gather and assess the views, insights, comments, observations and suggestions of all stakeholders on the selection of potentially suitable areas for a deep geological repository. The results of the public consultations will be used in the further comprehensive assessment of potential deep geological repository sites.

Since the start of the project, VATESI has been advising the project implementing SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant on the application of modern safety requirements for a repository (e.g. repository technical design and safety analysis, safety criteria, site selection and safety evaluation of the site).

When the environmental impact assessment process selects the site for the repository, VATESI will assess the suitability of the site for the deep geological repository after receiving the safety assessment report.

Lithuania is implementing a deep geological repository project in accordance with its international obligations and national legal requirements for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and long-lived radioactive waste. The SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, which is responsible for the implementation of the deep geological repository project, is currently carrying out the initial planning phase of the project - the deep geological repository site selection study programme, which includes expert studies, assessments, data analysis and synthesis, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

This work will be carried out at least until 2038. The approval of the site for the deep geological repository is planned by 2047.

More information about deep geological repository site selection process on SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant website.