On August 14, the First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Bohdan Borukhovskiy accompanied by SAMEZ and Chornobyl NPP Management visited Chornobyl NPP industrial site with a working visit.
The official delegation visited the Dry Type Nuclear Spent Fuel Storage Facility (ISF-2), where was familiarized with the Spent Fuel Storage Facility and its storage area. Also, the process of spent nuclear fuel transportation from the old “wet” type storage facility (ISF-1) to the new “dry type” storage facility (ISF-2) was demonstrated. It should start during the “hot” tests. "Hot tests" involve transfer 186 spent fuel assemblies to a new storage facility, which after processing will be located in concrete storage modules.
In fact, during the period of electricity generation, from 1977 to 2000, the plant accumulated more than 21,000 fuel assemblies, which are now stored in the "wet" type spent nuclear fuel storage facility ISF-1. The old storage is not designed for long-term storage of fuel and its lifetime is limited to 2028, so all spent fuel assemblies will be moved to the new intermediate "dry" type spent nuclear fuel storage ISF-2.
ISF-2 commissioning will allow to ensure safe storage of ChNPP spent nuclear fuel within the next 100 years.
In addition, the delegation visited NSC sub arch area, where the First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine pointed out that it was extremely important to continue effectively activities ensuring Shelter object transformation an ecologically safe system.
"I was very impressed by the people working here [at Chornobyl NPP site — ed.]. People live by it, it can be seen from their energy, professionalism and the way they talk about their creations",- concluded the visit the First Deputy Minister's.
The delegation also visited the Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant for Liquid waste generated during Chornobyl NPP operation, as well as in the process of units decommissioning and Shelter object transformation into an ecologically safe system.
Before being transferred for disposal, all RAW should be cemented in special steel drums, which are then sent for disposal to a Specially Equipped Near-surface Storage Facility for Solid Radioactive Waste, located at “Vektor” CF of the Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management.
The final point of the visit was inspection of "Vector" site and RWDS "Buryakivka" and forest areas affected during fires in 2020.
