Presentations made by Ignalina NPP to the public as an effective way of informing

On 6 June specialists of SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) visited Visaginas and presented the following topics to the Visaginas town residents: “Status and Progress of INPP Decommissioning Projects” and “Maisiagala Radioactive Waste Storage Facility Decommissioning Project”.

Topics have been selected based on the public interest and constantly raised questions about ongoing projects and concerns about decommissioning of Maisiagala Radioactive Waste Storage Facility.

Visaginas town residents were provided with an opportunity to know about the progress of the implementation of major decommissioning projects, the deadlines for their implementation, the faced and upcoming challenges, as well as to familiarise themselves with an accurate data on the types, volumes and quantities of waste handled, the removal of spent fuel from units and other important business activities related to planned dismantling of the reactor core.

Expert of the Radioactive Waste repositories Division presented information about Maisiagala Radioactive Waste Storage Facility Decommissioning Project, its objectives, anticipated activities and conditions, paid attention to the fact that removal of radioactive waste from Maisiagala Radioactive Waste Storage Facility and their management at Ignalina NPP in accordance with the strict safety requirements will discard the Nuclear Facility status of the Storage Facility and enable transfer of the entire territory for further use. Moreover, it was stated that all the waste to be removed from Maisiagala Radioactive Waste Storage Facility will form a minor quantity of radioactive waste managed by Ignalina NPP, i.e., only a few hundredths of a percent.

Specialists of Ignalina NPP have assured that safety has always been and will be in the first place, based on accurate calculations, simulation of different situations and environmental impact assessments – everything is done so that the residents of both Visaginas and surrounding regions can live in a clean and safe environment. In addition, specialists have ensured that INPP complies with the strictest physical protection requirements at the same level as during the operation of the plant.

During the meeting with residents, it was emphasized that in order to ensure transparency and publicity of the activities, INPP constantly provides interested parties with information related to decommissioning activities and is ready for constructive cooperation with all interested parties. All relevant information on the company's activities is published on the official website of INPP www.iae.lt. It should be noted that in order to ensure public participation in decision-making in the field of nuclear energy, from 2018 onwards INPP also publishes information on licensing processes in the field of nuclear energy, provides residents with access to activity licensing documents, familiarises public with draft decisions and proposals for these documents. In addition, in order to ensure efficient and transparent information provision to the public, INPP organises excursions during which INPP decommissioning activities are being presented.

Presentations to the public are an effective way of informing the public and answering all the concerns. The meeting attracted a lot of interest, and the residents of the town actively participated in the discussion and got answers to the questions asked.