2011-03-31 Meeting of Ignalina Programme Monitoring Committee was held at Ignalina NPP
Meetings of Ignalina Programme Monitoring Committee were held on 30 March in Vilnius and on 31 March at the State Enterprise Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP).
Representatives of the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Finance, European Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, Central Project Management Agency, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, State Enterprise Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate, Radioactive Waste Management Agency took part in the meetings.
During the meeting on 31 March at INPP, participants assessed the progress of Ignalina NPP decommissioning process made in six month period, as well as the efficiency of human resources, time and funds planning and management processes.
Also INPP facilities and buildings dismantling and decontamination projects planning, management and surveillance questions were discussed. The implementation of the principal decommissioning projects – B1 (the Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility), B2/3/4 (the Solid Waste Management and Storage Facilities), B19 (Landfill Facility for Short-lived Very Low and Intermediate Level Short-lived Radioactive Waste), B9-4 (INPP Unit 1 and 2 Reactor Dismantling and Decontamination Feasibility Study) was assessed.
Ignalina NPP General Director Osvaldas Čiukšys emphasized that summarizing the first decommissioning year it can be asserted that the main activities were identified and elaborated - ensuring the transparency of public procurements, efficient budget management and the amplification of the project management mechanism, efficient planning of received financing, saving of energy resources, etc.
INPP representatives reported that on 1 February 2011 the defueling of 500 spent nuclear fuel assemblies started from the Unit 2 reactor to the storage ponds. Currently, 3 spent nuclear fuel assemblies are being defueled every day, thus, it is planned to terminate all the works by February 2012.
The problems which arise due to the default of the main projects B1 and B2/3/4 contractor Nukem Technologies, the implementation process of the projects and the measures that INPP implement to ensure the proper further process of these projects were introduced to the participants of the meeting.
The ongoing INPP project UP01 (Engineering on Dismantling of Units 1 and 2 Structures from the Reactor Shafts) was discussed at the meeting. Project UP01 was initiated as an internal project which will enable the INPP personnel to use their knowledge and experience maximally. The internal projects reduce the need in the decommissioning funds significantly (only in 2010 20, 1 mln. litas were saved). In June 2010, the agreement between INPP and IAEA was signed concerning the participation in the project "The management of irradiated graphite in order to ensure compliance with the criteria of the waste acceptance for disposal". Also the participants were informed about the INPP initiative to establish Graphite Competence Center. INPP specialists consider it to be a very perspective idea because the EU funding would support not only the implementation of INPP decommissioning projects but also spread the INPP experts accumulated experience working with graphite to other countries.
The participants of the meeting visited the Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility, the Solid Waste Management and Storage Facilities and Landfill Facility for Short-lived Very Low Radioactive Waste construction sites.
Ignalina Programme is the financial instrument of the European Union intended to support Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning and the measures related to it in the sector of the Lithuanian Energy.
Daiva Rimašauskaitė,
Head of Communication- Spokesperson
El. p. daiva.rimasauskaite@iae.lt
Tel. (8-386) 24442
Ignalina NPP decommissioning activities are co-financed by European Union