22.02.2007 // Press service of Rosenergoatom

Specialists of Rosatom and Rosenergoatom discuss stoppage of nuclear and radioactive facilities and recovery of polluted territories

During a joint meeting in Nuclear Safety Institute (Moscow) on Feb 21 2007, the scientific-technical councils of Rosatom and Rosenergoatom discussed the problems of stoppage of nuclear and radioactive facilities and recovery of polluted territories.

The sides heard reports about the preparations for the stoppage of the nuclear power units of first generation and on the development of the Concept for the Stoppage of Nuclear Units, Radioactive Sources and Storage Facilities. They also considered harmonizing the relevant normative documentation with the new strategy of nuclear energy development.

The councils noted that the preparations for the stoppage of first generation nuclear power units are being carried out in line with the relevant programs but with some delay in financing due to the lack of state support and low quota in 2006 (1.3%) .

In this context, the councils suggested increasing the quota of allocations into the reserve fund starting from 2008.

They are going to recommend Rosatom to draft and to submit to the Government a resolution for increasing the quota of allocations into the NPP stoppage reserve fund due to the Concern’s receipts from the sale of goods and services depending on how much the federal budget will allocate for the payment of accrued deficiencies.

VNIIAES has been instructed to make a list of necessary and existing technologies and equipment used for the stoppage of NPPs. This list will serve as a basis for the development of new technologies and equipment and their unification.

VNIIAES has been also recommended to complete the drafting of new cost estimating methodology for the project and to coordinate it with concerned organizations and Rosatom.

Presently, the relevant means are being accumulated in Rosenergoatom’s centralized NPP stoppage reserve fund. The Government says that each year the Concern should allocate 1.3% of its electricity sales into the fund.

Five years before the expiry of the 30-year service life of a unit, the Concern should draft a project for its stoppage and carry out a technical-economic study to decide if the unit should be stopped or modernized for prolonged service life.

The stoppage project is launched after the final stoppage of the unit and takes 45–50 years (depending on the type of reactor). As a result, the radioactive unit is turned into non-radioactive one — so-called gray lawn, a site that can be used for industrial purposes.