Project title: Support for the creation of an integrated automatic radiation monitoring system covering the whole territory of Ukraine U4.01.19A/19B

Funding: European Union

Objective: Creation of an integrated automatic radiation monitoring system of the environment which will ensure data exchange in real time, and significantly improve existing monitoring systems in the country. Furthermore, such system would enhance Ukraine’s ability to respond to emergencies, while contributing to improved early warning of radiation hazards for neighbouring countries.  

Expected Outcome: procurement of works and services for the creation of an integrated automated radiation monitoring system covering the whole territory of Ukraine.

Project title: Support to the improvement of radioactive waste management and environmental radiation monitoring within the Chornobyl exclusion zone (U4.01.20/A and U4.01.20/B)

Funding: European Union

Objective:

Improvement of the RW management and radiation monitoring of environment in the Chornobyl exclusion zone through:

• Improvement of the radioactive waste management system and, as a result, enhancement of the ChEZ radiation safety level by developing a methodology for sampling radioactive materials for further characterisation, sorting, packaging and interim storage of radioactive waste currently stored in the Pidlisnyi RWDS;
• Improvement of radiation monitoring of the ChEZ environment and development of a relevant strategy and planning for the protection of aquatic resources in the ChEZ by upgrading the well network for proper analysis and modelling of contamination and migration of radionuclides in surface and groundwater.  

Expected Outcome: 

• Analysis and modeling of migration of radionuclides from different nuclear and radiological facilities in the Chornobyl exclusion zone (ChEZ) in surface and groundwater.
• Providing recommendations on the deployment of additional water monitoring wells to the existing observation points, which will contribute to the improvement of the overall environmental radiation monitoring programme in the ChEZ.
• Provision of recommendations on the inclusion of additional monitoring points for surface waters that may be contaminated by radionuclides migrating through groundwater.
• Development of a fully integrated well design for groundwater monitoring in the ChEZ that is based on the existing system and improves it where necessary.
• Implementation of an integrated groundwater monitoring system that meets the approved design and can be established within the existing budgetary constraints

Project title: Р792 Radiation monitoring system designed to control vehicles and cargo in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

Funding: Government of the Kingdom of Norway

Objective: Organization, procurement and delivery of priority equipment, works and services in accordance with the technical specifications developed under the EU-funded Project U4.01/18B Phase 1 “Modernization of the dosimetric control system in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and environmental (radiation) monitoring at the Vektor Complex and Buryakivka Waste Disposal Site - U4.01/18B”.

Expected Outcome: Provision of priority equipment, works and services for the technical re-equipment of the ChNPP individual dosimetry system using dosimeters for finger and eye monitoring based on optically stimulated luminescence technology

Project title: Equipment for modernization of dosimetric control system in the Chornobyl exclusion zone and environmental (radiation) monitoring at Vektor facility and Buriakivka waste disposal site - U4.01/18B Phase 2

Funding: European Union

Objective: organization, procurement and provision of the necessary infrastructure and equipment in accordance with the designs and technical specifications developed under the EU-funded Project U4.01/18B Phase 1 “Modernization of the dosimetric control system in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and environmental (radiation) monitoring at the Vektor Complex and Buryakivka Waste Disposal Site - U4.01/18B”.

Expected Outcome: 

• Creation of a modernized environmental monitoring system at the Buryakivka waste disposal site.
• Creation of an upgraded dosimetric control system at the SSE ChNPP and in the ChEZ as a whole.

The Interim Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Facility (ISF-2) – is the facility designed for acceptance, preparation for storage and storage of Spent Fuel Assemblies (SFA) and Additional Absorbers (AA), currently stored at Chornobyl NPP.

The construction began in 2001 and is funded from the Nuclear Safety Account of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

ISF-2 consists of 2 parts:
1. Spent Fuel Processing Facility (SFPF). Its function is preparation for storage and packing of about 21 thousand spent fuel assemblies, transported from from “wet” type ISF-1. The facility is designed to ensure the minimal annual capacity for processing of 2,500 fuel assemblies or absorbers.

2. Spent Fuel Storage Area. The following operations are carried out in this Area:
• transportation of the canisters, filled with spent nuclear fuel from the Spent Fuel Processing Facility to the Storage Area, using the canisters handling and transportation system;
• loading of canisters into horizontal concrete storage modules with the 100-year design life-time
• storage of canisters with nuclear fuel within 100 years.

Storage of spent nuclear fuel will be carried out using the dry modular storage technology.

The general principle of dry model storage is that fuel is stored in sealed baskets filled with inert gas. The baskets themselves are placed in concrete modules. The module design serves as radiation protection, and also prevents the damage of the metal basket.

Dry technology has the following advantages:
1. Possibility to implement construction of the facility in a staged manner and lower initial investment in the construction.
2. Passive system (due to natural air exchange) for removal of residual heat from spent fuel assemblies.
3. Generation of insignificant amount of radioactive waste during operation of the storage facility and almost complete absence of liquid radioactive waste.
4. Operating costs are significantly lower in comparison with the wet storage.

The accepted technology for ISF-2 involves the use of a Double-Walled Canister (DWC). Its design provides long-term storage of fuel due to isolation from the environment. Therefore, there will be no radiation effect on the environment under normal storage in concrete modules. One DWC contains 93 spent fuel assemblies.

On December 14, 2020, active phase of hot testing was completed; 186 spent fuel assemblies were moved to ISF-2.

Read more: ChNPP completes transfer of spent nuclear fuel within “hot tests” at ISF-2

On April 26, 2021, ChNPP obtained Licence for ISF-2 Operation which enabled to start transportation of the fuel in operation mode.

On May 21, the SSE ChNPP obtained an individual permit for Removal of Standard Spent Nuclear Fuel from ISF-1.

On 08 June, spent fuel transportation in operation mode started. As of January 2022: 1,698 spent fuel assemblies have been moved to ISF-2 for long-term storage.

ONGOING PROJECTS

COMPLETED PROJECTS

The project is funded by the European Union.

Project objective: modernization of dosimetric control system in the Exclusion Zone and environmental (radiation) monitoring at Vektor Complex and Buriakivka RAW Disposal Facility.

Project tasks:

• Development of design and purchase documentation for modernization of the environmental monitoring systems at Vektor and Buriakivka as well as dosimetric control systems at ChNPP and within the Exclusion Zone in general (including the contamination which can be spread by vehicles).
• Analysis of available systems and their compliance with the safety requirements of Ukraine and best international practices.
• Development of actions for improvement of the systems.
• Development of technical specifications on whose basis the primary actions of the system improvement will be taken (these actions include shipment, installation, testing and commissioning).

In terms of upgrading the ChNPP radiation and dosimetric control, the existing system was analysed, the improvement actions for it were developed, and general assessment was completed. Due to both the limited financing of the next project phase and large scope of work, the project for ChNPP was split into two LOTs:

LOT-1 — purchase of equipment for refurbishment of the ChNPP Individual Dosimetric Control Laboratory and purchase of individual dosimeters.
LOT-2 — purchase of auxiliary dosimeters to check eye lens and limbs.