ChNPP will cooperate with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) in field of radioactively contaminated materials decontamination.

The corresponding Agreement was recently signed by Chornobyl NPP.

According to Oleksandr Skomarokhov, Deputy Technical Director (for Radioactive Waste Management), within the framework of this Agreement ChNPP representatives using KAERI developed technologies and procedures agreed with KAERI will decontaminate fragments of concrete and metal contaminated with a wide range of radioactive elements.

“This is a mutually beneficial cooperation. KAERI has technical developments aimed at decontamination of contaminated surfaces, but is incapable to test these technologies on real rather than artificially contaminated surfaces, because such contamination does not exist in Korea at the moment. At the same time, Chornobyl NPP in process of decommissioning is looking all the time for tools and technologies that will allow, on the one hand, high-quality decontamination of materials, and on the other — significantly reduce the volume of RAW generated in this process. Thus, ChNPP site is a kind of laboratory test site for testing the technology proposed by KAERI specialists”.

During the tests, which will be realized until the end of 2021, elements with known characteristics of contamination, in particular concrete fragments of structures, as well as stainless steel and carbon steel plates will be decontaminated using the foam decontamination.

In case of positive test results, the Chornobyl NPP will obtain additional decontamination technology with the right to use it exclusively at ChNPP industrial site.