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    On 4th June 2021, SSE Chornobyl NPP became one of the signers of the Memorandum on establishment of the Educational and Research Center “Slavutych” as part of the Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, which has been included to Ukraine’s Top 30 universities.

    First steps under the Memorandum have been taken recently - an advertisement has been published for the recruitment of students for the Programme of study “Computer engineering” (classroom learning). Provided the successful development of the educational centre, it could become a source of professionals for Chornobyl NPP which has been using latest technology in the field of nuclear facilities decommissioning (such as the NSC and ISF-2), as well as for other enterprises of the Slavutych city.

    Admission rules for the Programme are available at the Chernihiv Polytechnic’s website.

    This is not the first project of cooperation between the ChNPP, the city of Slavutych and universities of Ukraine. Right now, the second batch of students is having the advanced training course in nuclear decommissioning provided jointly by ChNPP and Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

    On 8 July 2021, within the framework of the obtained license giving a right to operate the new spent nuclear fuel storage facility (i.e. ISF-2), the first spent fuel of ChNPP was placed for a period of 100-year storage.

    Two canisters with processed fuel, which are already stored now, were put into the concrete storage modules at the end of 2020 during the ISF-2 “hot” tests.

    According to ChNPP Acting Director General Valeriy Seyda, currently far less time was needed for performing all procedures than time taken by the similar works during the “hot” tests. The successful management of ChNPP spent fuel has demonstrated that the technology and technological processes, implemented at ISF-2, comply with the modern requirements of the Ukrainian legislation and IAEA recommendations, meaning the guarantee of the safety for personnel, public and the environment.

    From 21 to 25 June training on radiation safety for specialists from the United States and Great Britain was held at Chornobyl NPP and in the Exclusion zone.

    The training was attended by experts in nuclear, radiation, fire and hazardous materials management safety (USA), as well as the head of the emergency response service of nuclear and environmental regulators in UK. The event was organized by the Chornobyl NPP Radiation Safety Shop, Clean Futures Fund (USA) and Technical Resources Group (USA).

    The programme included both theoretical and practical parts: lectures and exercises on measurements indoors and outdoors. In particular, the participants of the training got acquainted with the peculiarities of radioactive situation at Chornobyl NPP and performed environmental monitoring in Prypyat and Chornobyl, at the pumping station, near the Valeriy Khodemchuk memorial, in the space under NSC Arch and at other locations of the industrial site.

    On this day 20 years ago, Chornobyl NPP officially transformed from the power generating enterprise into the enterprise for decommissioning of power units, and got the status of a State Specialized Enterprise.

    “The enterprise has been established to ensure all types of activity related to decommissioning of power units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants and to the transformation of the Shelter Object into an environmentally safe system,” – says the Charter of the enterprise about the objective of its activity.

    Of course, SSE ChNPP is not involved in the decommissioning of all the Ukrainian nuclear power units; however the enterprise’s progress on its own site is worth to be acknowledged:

    • Started operation of the new interim spent nuclear fuel storage facility (ISF-2). First 186 spent fuel assemblies have already been placed for storage, and the same will be happening to the other tens of thousands of the assemblies over the next 10-year period.

    On June 8, ChNPP started a 10-year period of spent nuclear fuel transportation from the old storage facility to a new one.

    The green light for this process was given by obtaining all necessary permits and licenses for operation of the new Interim Spent Fuel Dry Storage Facility (ISF-2), as well as by the successful hot testing of the facility, during which 186 spent fuel assemblies were transported, processes and placed for storage in test run mode.

    Below there are five key facts you need to know about this process:

    1. The new spent fuel storage facility will accept only fuel from ChNPP.

    1. Emergency Response Drill at ISF-2
    2. Chornobyl NPP Obtained Permit for LRTP Operation
    3. Permit Obtained for Retrieval of Standard Spent Nuclear Fuel
    4. Meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Policy

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