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    Transportation and handover for disposal of RAW packages produced at the Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant (LRTP) into the Engineered Near-Surface Solid RAW Disposal Facility (ENSDF) commenced on January 31. The first batch in this year – four packages of RAW – was transported to the disposal facility. The further handover of RAW packages to the ENSDF is to be implemented according to the schedule approved between the Chernobyl NPP and State Specialized Enterprise "Central Enterprise for Management of Radioactive Waste" (SSE “CEMRW”) to which the ENSDF belongs. The available RAW packages are transported to make room for the end product storage at the beginning of LRTP operation.

    As noted by the Deputy Technical Director (for RAW Management) Oleksandr Skomarokhov, at the beginning of 2018 the Chernobyl NPP has approached the final stage of LRTP commissioning: “A separate permit for the LRTP operation was given to the enterprise in December 2014. Before that all required tests of the LRTP had been carried out. These tests resulted in production of 63 packages with RAW. Four packages were transported to the ENSDF in 2014 to fulfil the whole processing chain of RAW management. Other packages were stored at the LRTP within the end product curing premise in accordance with the permissions of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU)”.

    Works on anchoring the sealing membrane of the New Safe Confinement’s Arch are carried out within the Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 premise.

    Yurii Filimonov — foreman of a drilling unit of the Shelter Object (New Safe Confinement) Operation Shop (hereinafter — SO(NSC)OP) — explains: “Now we are working on ensuring 100% attachment of sealing anchors in the points of contact between the Arch and Block V [Unit No.4 — ed.]. The design area of attaching the sealing anchors is ensured not at all reinforced concrete structures available at these points. Therefore, in order to reduce the work execution period and provide substantial assistance to the contacting organization, the SO(NSC)OP, represented by a combined team, executes works on deepening the niches in the points of bonding the sealing anchors with the building structures.

    The work is performed within premises No.7001 and No.6004 under high radiation fields. These activities are carried out by several teams to reduce dose burdens onto personnel. 

    Currently we need in the shortest time possible to ensure execution of the drilling and grooving works within these premises.” 

    “The works are carried out in tough conditions. We use both gas and electrical cutting of metal as the concrete supporting structures have inclusions of re-bars. They should be cut because they impede attaching the anchors,” — adds Sviatoslav Mamykin — electric and gas welder of the SO(NSC)OP’s non-stationary equipment repair sector.

    On January 17, 2018, Chairman of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine Hryhoriy Plachkov visited Chernobyl NPP.

    During the familiarization visit Mr Plachkov paid the special attention to the completion of construction of Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility No. 2 (ISF-2). The most part of the facility equipment is at the stage of the comprehensive testing and it is planned to perform the "hot" tests in 2018.

    At ISF-2 construction site the Chief Engineer of the Safety Improvement Project Andrii Savin and the representatives of the General Contractor HOLTEC International familiarized the guest with the work progress and future plans.

    After that the delegation, accompanied by top managers of ChNPP and Shelter Implementation Plan Project Management Unit performed a technical tour inside the New Safe Confinement.

    The decision about identification of the tender winner was published on January 10, 2018 at the official public procurement information portal of Ukraine - Prozorro.

    On 27th December 2017, the open electronic bidding process was held for examination of RAW samples in the form of bituminous compound at the specialized laboratory of SS “Rivne NPP” to characterize content of alpha-, beta- and gamma-emitting nuclides for calculation of radionuclide vectors. The bidding buyer was the State Enterprise “National Nuclear Energy Generating Company “Energoatom”.

    Three organizations took part in the tender: State Specialized Enterprise “Chernobyl NPP”, State Specialized Enterprise “Ecocentre” and SSRI “Chornobyl Center”. The SSE ChNPP was announced a winner having offered to the buyer the better work execution sum – UAH 2,449,612.12 and having guaranteed the professional performance of these examinations.

    State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate of Ukraine confirmed the compliance of the completely constructed object “Reconstruction of ChNPP II Stage Main Building (Power Units No. 3, 4) with reinforcement and sealing of ChNPP II Stage building structures functioning as NSC enclosing perimeter”.

    State Specialized Enterprise “Chernobyl NPP”, the object’s Customer, obtained the relevant certificate signed by the Chief Inspector of Construction Supervision under the Department of Licensing Procedures.

    Project “Reinforcement and sealing of ChNPP II Stage building structures functioning as NSC enclosing perimeter” ensured creation of required building structures, as well as reconstruction of all existing systems of the enclosure and  control systems of the Shelter Object, including ventilation system, fire-fighting system, etc.

    The design activities were performed by KSK Consortium consisting of three Ukrainian organizations: Kyiv Research and Design Institute “Energoproject”, Institute of Building Constructions, and Institute for Safety Problems of NPPs.

    1. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
    2. Dismantling of structures under the NSC Arch
    3. The last ChNPP Unit was shut down 17 years ago
    4. Results of Chernobyl Shelter Fund and Nuclear Safety Account Donors Assembly meeting are known

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