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    Recently, specialists of the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS) jointly with the representatives of the Society for Facilities and Reactors Safety of Germany (GRS) presented a jointly developed draft report "Analysis of Factors Determining Shelter Object Safety" as part of the new Safe Confinement".

    The new Safe Confinement (NSC) is designed on the basis of the boundary conditions for the current and potentially hazardous impacts of the Shelter object.

    If the boundary conditions are met, the environment is protected; the permissible release of radioactive substances from the NSC does not exceed the norm. The same is applicable to the radiation protection of Arch employees.

    Current impact of the Shelter object is represented by the radioactive substances release into NSC, release of ionizing radiation into workplaces and the temperature and humidity regime. Potential impact is criticality occurrence, collapse of structures, fire and explosion.

    "The Shelter object condition can be considered as safe if its safety indicators do not exceed the limiting conditions", - said Sergey Kondratiev, the head of SSTC decommissioning department. "Together with GRS, we collected all the limiting design conditions and developed approaches to definition of criteria for the further safe operation of the facility."

    During the project implementation, risks were identified that may occur in process of the Shelter object unstable structures dismantling.

    WANO technical support mission "Radioactively contaminated water management" is taking place at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant from May 15 to May 19.

    Within the mission experts from Ukraine, Hungary and Russia together with Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s specialists discussed the problem of Radioactively contaminated water management at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and visited Radioactive Waste Management Facilities, currently existing at ChNPP.

    At Chernobyl NPP the volume of accumulated waste water in the special sewage system makes approximately 12.000 m3/year. At the moment at Chernobyl NPP a scheme for the radioactive waters purification is in operation, which is intended for the operational condition of the unit. The current use of resources (gas, heat, electricity and steam) for the radioactive water purification and the purified water production is inefficient and expensive.

    Among the major practical tasks of the mission is search of optimal and economically expedient approach to the waste water treatment at Chernobyl NPP, as well as identification of optimal technology for their treatment with minimum secondary waste generation and reasonable economic efficiency in decommissioning conditions.

    During the mission Chernobyl NPP specialists were acquainted with modern approaches and methods for the radioactively contaminated water (RCW) treatment and with experience of their utilization at RAW Management facilities (NPPs).

    On May 16, the participants of the International Conference of nuclear veterans have met with Chernobyl NPP Management.

    The experienced specialists from different countries, who devoted many years to the nuclear industry, came to Slavutych and ChNPP site to share their experience in the international conference and a working meeting regarding “Safety – compulsory condition for existence and development of nuclear energy in all countries of the world”. Among participants of the event, there were representatives from Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland, France and Ukraine.

    During the event, the contributions of the speakers have been heard by following areas of activity:

    1. Professional competence of the operational staff at NPP and a system of its support at appropriate level. Preservation and transfer of crucial knowledge to young generation.

    2. Safety when managing the nuclear fuel during whole process chain of its use (supply, transportation, operations in reactor, refueling, temporary and long-term storage, processing).

    On May 14, Mr. Oleksandr Danyliuk, the Minister of Finances of Ukraine, had a working visit to Chernobyl NPP.

    At the Observation Pavilion of the Shelter, Mr. Valeriy Seyda, First Deputy Director General of Chernobyl NPP, reported about a condition of industrial site of the plant and progress in commissioning of New Safe Confinement.

    Mr. Vitaliy Petruk, Chairman of the State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management, representative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Counselor of the Minister of Finances also participated in the visit.

    “It is the important place, where heroism of thousands of simple people saved lives of millions. I thank all people who work in rough conditions. You are building the future. Thanks to you such a tragedy will not repeat once again”, Minister left the notes in the Honorary Visitors’ Book.

    The Resolution was adopted in order to accept for operation the unified property complex – the works of commissioning stage I of new safe confinement (hereinafter referred to as NSC CS-I) taking into account the elaborated individual designs for construction, whose expert reviews were completed and which were approved separately, with regard to the individual permits for civil works to build individual facilities forming integral parts of NSC CS-I.

    The execution of this resolution will enable to regularize regulatory and legally the acceptance for operation of the completed upon construction unified property complex - NSC CS-I as a sole subject in toto that will ensure its efficient operation, maintenance, and repair. Furthermore, adoption of this document will facilitate appropriate execution by Ukraine of its international obligations regarding Chornobyl NPP decommissioning and Shelter conversion into an environmentally safe system.

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