August 27, 2009 Vilnius. Lithuania’s State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) has issued a license to Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (Ignalina NPP) for construction of solid radioactive waste management facilities.
“This is the first licensed construction project under Ignalina NPP Final Decommissioning Plan. The new facilities will be up to international standards. They will be used for characterization, classification, processing, and storage of solid radioactive waste accumulating in the course of operation and decommissioning of the nuclear power plant,” – says Michail Demčenko, VATESI Deputy Head.
The license has been issued under certain preconditions that will have to be fulfilled prior to the beginning of operation of the waste management facilities, i.e. during the construction stage Ignalina NPP will have to properly ensure physical protection and to install security equipment at the construction site. Moreover, Ignalina NPP has to demonstrate that the contractor has enough qualified manpower to perform specific operations, and to provide VATESI with the schedules for supervising the progress of construction works and inspection of equipment.
At the management site of solid radioactive waste all waste of the mentioned type from operation and decommissioning of Ignalina NPP will be managed and stored for a fifty-year period.
The commissioning of the new waste processing equipment in the existing territory of Ignalina NPP, Drūkšiai Village, Visaginas Municipality is scheduled for the year 2012.
The State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) is the regulatory authority that supervises the safety of nuclear energy facilities in Lithuania.
More information about the management and storage facilities of solid radioactive waste as well as the Safety Assessment Report of the project is available on www.vatesi.lt as well as the website of Ignalina NPP www.iae.lt. Report is available only in Lithuanian language.
