On October 22, 2021, State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) has issued a permit to SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant to perform dismantling and deconta-
mination of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 turbine hall structures (turbine bases, floor structures, drainage systems, heat exchangers and turbine metal structures).
The permit allows SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant to dismantle the radionuclide-contaminated reinforced concrete and metal structures and to install places for the temporary storage of newly generated waste in the cleaned part of the Unit 1 turbine hall. Containers with short-lived very low-level radioactive waste will be stored at the installed places until the surface very low-level radioactive waste repository start to operate. The dismantling of the technological equipment of the turbine hall, except for the general plant’ systems and engineering systems of the building, which are still in operation, was completed in 2019.
VATESI has been carefully evaluating the documents substantiating the safety of all decommissioning and decontamination projects submitted since the permanent shutdown of both units of the Ignalina NPP. Previously, dismantling and decontamination works were performed by SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in accordance with the operating licences of Units 1 and 2, and having agreed with VATESI before the start of the works the documents substantiating the safety of these activities, which were specified in the amended licence terms. As the phase of dismantling and decontamination of the most contaminated equipment and systems approached, in order to regulate more clearly the process of planning these works and supervising their safety, changes to the terms of the licences were no longer applied. VATESI issues separate permits for these works from May 1, 2021.
