In early July, Chornobyl NPP obtained the third-party liability insurance policy for nuclear damage that could affect their lives, health and property. Such a policy is one of the prerequisites for obtaining licenses to operate NSC-SO and ISF-2 facilities.

    Obtaining the policy was preceded by a visit of World Nuclear Insurance Pool survey. Its task was to estimate the key ChNPP facilities (two Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facilities, NSC, Radioactive Waste Management Facilities, etc.) and to generate a Technical report regarding the insurance risk of the plant.

    Oleksandr Babenko, Director General of the Nuclear Insurance Pool of Ukraine, commented on the insurance process of Chornobyl NPP in such a way: "When insuring, the Facility should be assessed. In our cases [in Chornobyl NPP case — ed.] this is a very complex technological facility, and here we perform an engineering risk assessment.

    On the one hand, we are looking at "hardware". It is, in principle, good everywhere, both in the world and in our country. On the other hand, it is no secret that the human factor is the main cause of accidents and all troubles, not only in the nuclear field. Therefore, we pay attention to the safety culture, the staff attitude to safety, its training and all sorts of things that can lead to some problems. In any case this is a large industrial facility."

    At the end of July, the Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant of Chornobyl NPP was visited by the representatives of the Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management (CERWM).

    The major interest of CERWM specialists was the monitoring of technological process of treatment and cementation of liquid radioactive waste (RAW), as well as RAW package manufacture quality control.

    CERWM is the state enterprise ensuring operation of the storage facilities designed for Ukrainian radioactive waste disposal. ChNPP transfers to these storage facilities its own waste accumulated during operation of the plant and those being generated during its decommissioning.

    Prior to transfer for disposal, all RAW are specially prepared. In case of liquid RAW, the preparation belongs to their immobilization (in other words, cementation) into 200-litre drums. That means that the output of the Liquid RAW Treatment Plant is a steel drum filled with solidified radioactive waste in the form of concrete.

    The State Specialized Enterprise “Chornobyl NPP” has obtained from the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine the specific permission for pilot operation of Commissioning Stage 1 of the New Safe Confinement (NSC CS-1).

    The handing over of appropriate permission took place with participation of the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Mr. Roman Shakhmatenko, the Chairman of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine Mr. Hryhorii Plachkov, the Head of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management Mr. Serhii Kalashnyk, Acting Director General of SSE “Chornobyl NPP” Mr. Volodymyr Pieskov, and the representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

    “Obtaining the specific permission for pilot operation of NSC Commissioning Stage 1 is a successful example of implementing the large-scale international project regarding completion of unique technological structure that would effectively protect humanity and environment against destroyed power unit of Chornobyl NPP. We thank very much the donors and contributors of the Nuclear Safety Account and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development who joined together around the problem relating to the elimination of ChNPP accident consequences”, the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Mr. Roman Shakhmatenko emphasized.

    On July 22 Chornobyl NPP took part in a joint video meeting between the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI).

    The meeting objective was to discuss the next steps of the Ukrainian and Korean sides to initiate a cooperative project within the Exclusion Zone and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on technical cooperation in nuclear energy research and development works.

    At this meeting the KAERI experts presented technologies to be tested during the first phase of the project at the end of 2020. This involves the concrete waste treatment technology and the foam decontamination technology. These technologies are experimental and the ChNPP site is to become their “testing field”.

    The meeting resulted in a decision to sign the MoU between SAUEZM and KAERI in August this year, as well as to develop a technical documentation on implementing the first phase of the project together with the ChNPP.

    During July 14-17, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) is inspecting the Chornobyl NPP. The inspection goal is to check whether SSE ChNPP could perform pilot operation of Commissioning Stage 1 of the New Safe Confinement meeting the requirements of nuclear and radiation safety.

    The Commissioning Stage 1 of the New Safe Confinement (NSC CS-1) is a complex of facilities designed and constructed by the General Contractor of the NSC Project, i.e. NOVARKA Company. It includes metal structures of the Arch together with the main crane system, and the systems of life-support and state control of NSC, as well as new ventilation stack.

    The SNRIU Commission is headed by Mrs. Tamara Sushko, Deputy Chairperson of the Radioactive Waste Management Safety Department.

    “This inspection is related to the fact that Chornobyl NPP submitted an application and a package of documents to obtain a specific permission for pilot operation of NSC CS-1.

    1. Press-release on the incident which took place at ChNPP on 09 July 2020
    2. The Donor Assembly of the Nuclear Safety Account marked progress in implementation of projects at ChNPP industrial site
    3. Information about COVID-19 disease incidence at SSE ChNPP
    4. The “Ukraine – EBRD” Joint Committee notes good progress in the implementation of international projects at the Chornobyl NPP site

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