Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 2 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 2 related plants in PECWeb
Released April 15, 2016 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called on Lithuania to review risks associated with the shuttered Ignalina nuclear power plant (INPP), once considered one of Europe's most dangerous plants.
An expert team led by the IAEA spent a week at the plant and reported that the ongoing decommissioning process, which is expected to last another 20 years, should include "plans for potential project risks to ensure that future costs and scheduling remain realistic". It shared its findings with the Lithuanian government, who invited the expert team to review the project risks and uncertainties associated with Ignalina's two RBMK-1500 light water-cooled graphite moderated reactors, which were shut down in 2004 and 2009, respectively. Ignalina shared the same reactor design and containment buildings as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP), where an explosion in 1986 caused a partial reactor meltdown in what became Europe's worst nuclear accident. The European Union (EU) forced Lithuania to agree to shut Ignalina's reactors as part of its deal to join the Union.
The European Commission (EC) is providing billions of euro for the decommissioning project, due to be completed in 2038.
"Any undertaking of this kind involves a series of risks and uncertainties, so it's important to mitigate them wherever possible," said Patrick O'Sullivan, the IAEA decommissioning specialist who led the four-person mission team that also included experts from Slovakia, the U.K. and the U.S. "Factoring these risks into the planning effort will help ensure realistic future cost estimates."
INPP Director General Darius Janulevičius welcomed the team's findings: "INPP has achieved significant progress over the past few years, ensuring effective implementation of key decommissioning activities. The broad competence and extensive experience of the experts involved in the IAEA mission will support INPP's efforts towards building up an integrated risk management system that works effectively. The decommissioning of power units with RBMK-type reactors has allowed INPP to gain unique experience that can be systematized and applied in other nuclear energy projects. INPP has a vision to become an expert on safe and efficient nuclear facility decommissioning and radioactive waste management."
Key milestones reached in the decommissioning process include the partial dismantlement of the turbine hall and construction of a solid waste management facility and an interim spent fuel storage facility.
Lithuania, with its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Estonia, has been trying to push for a new nuclear power plant at Visaginas but with limited success. The proposed plant, is expected to have a generating capacity of 1,350-megawatts (MW) and will cost an estimated 5 billion euro ($5.65 billion). However, in 2012, almost two thirds of the country's citizens voted against building a new nuclear power plant in a national referendum. For additional information, see October 22, 2012, article - Lithuanians Vote 'No' to Nuclear Power.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
An expert team led by the IAEA spent a week at the plant and reported that the ongoing decommissioning process, which is expected to last another 20 years, should include "plans for potential project risks to ensure that future costs and scheduling remain realistic". It shared its findings with the Lithuanian government, who invited the expert team to review the project risks and uncertainties associated with Ignalina's two RBMK-1500 light water-cooled graphite moderated reactors, which were shut down in 2004 and 2009, respectively. Ignalina shared the same reactor design and containment buildings as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP), where an explosion in 1986 caused a partial reactor meltdown in what became Europe's worst nuclear accident. The European Union (EU) forced Lithuania to agree to shut Ignalina's reactors as part of its deal to join the Union.
The European Commission (EC) is providing billions of euro for the decommissioning project, due to be completed in 2038.
"Any undertaking of this kind involves a series of risks and uncertainties, so it's important to mitigate them wherever possible," said Patrick O'Sullivan, the IAEA decommissioning specialist who led the four-person mission team that also included experts from Slovakia, the U.K. and the U.S. "Factoring these risks into the planning effort will help ensure realistic future cost estimates."
INPP Director General Darius Janulevičius welcomed the team's findings: "INPP has achieved significant progress over the past few years, ensuring effective implementation of key decommissioning activities. The broad competence and extensive experience of the experts involved in the IAEA mission will support INPP's efforts towards building up an integrated risk management system that works effectively. The decommissioning of power units with RBMK-type reactors has allowed INPP to gain unique experience that can be systematized and applied in other nuclear energy projects. INPP has a vision to become an expert on safe and efficient nuclear facility decommissioning and radioactive waste management."
Key milestones reached in the decommissioning process include the partial dismantlement of the turbine hall and construction of a solid waste management facility and an interim spent fuel storage facility.
Lithuania, with its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Estonia, has been trying to push for a new nuclear power plant at Visaginas but with limited success. The proposed plant, is expected to have a generating capacity of 1,350-megawatts (MW) and will cost an estimated 5 billion euro ($5.65 billion). However, in 2012, almost two thirds of the country's citizens voted against building a new nuclear power plant in a national referendum. For additional information, see October 22, 2012, article - Lithuanians Vote 'No' to Nuclear Power.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
