The IAEA Expert Mission is drawing to a close, held at Chornobyl NPP to address the issues regarding the process materials accumulated at the Temporary Storage Site for Process Materials (TSSPM) and the future use of the site.
During 3 days the IAEA experts have been discussing the work execution procedures when operating the site, characteristics, including radiation ones, and the current amount of process materials stored at the TSSPM, as well as details of radioactive contamination of the area and facilities around the site. Furthermore, ways for future handling of process materials and the necessary measures for environmental protection around the TSSPM have been outlined.
FYI. In 2003 SSE ChNPP approved the decision on temporary storage or reuse for backfilling of the materials resulting form excavation works performed during facilities construction within the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP). It allowed to significantly reduce time necessary for materials management and thus reduced the New Safe Confinement overall construction time. In addition, this approach made it possible to significantly reduce the number of materials that had to be delivered from outside of the site for the construction of the NSC.
As a result of this decision, the design task “Construction of the site for temporary storage of soil resulting from the construction of SIP facilities at the territory of the SSE ChNPP” was implemented during 2003-2004. This resulted in the construction of the Temporary Storage Site for Process Material (TSSPM) as well as development of associated regulations and procedures.
The TSSPM is located within the 5-km ChNPP zone, in the most contaminated area resulting from the 1986 accident. The TSSPM is designed to manage steel, reinforced concrete and soil from the SIP facilities construction. The site was commissioned in 2006, and material acceptance criteria were defined and documented. Currently, the TSSPM is in operation, and over 116,000 cubic meters of radioactively contaminated materials are being stored there.
Given that the TSSPM is currently contaminated due to the 1986 accident, and the contamination levels in the territories and facilities situated around the TSSPM, exceed the levels of the process material contained within the TSSPM, and free volumes of storage facilities for the disposal of radioactive materials is not sufficient for the amount of technological materials accumulated on TSSPM, ChNPP has come up with a proposal to consider that process material could be stored long-term at the TSSPM.
Following the visit to the TSSPM, the IAEA experts have reviewed the ChNPP's technical decision “On the future management of process materials contained within the Temporary Storage Site for Process Materials (TSSPM) which remained unused under the SIP implementation” along with the reasoned justification, as well as reviewed the Action plan developed by ChNPP regarding the long-term safe storage of process materials within the TSSPM, and provided their recommendations.
