Abstract
The shutdown of the last Chernobyl NPP (ChNPP) unit essentially changes situation at the site. The plant terminates the activity as the electricity producer and starts decommissioning of the nuclear installations, located at the site. At the same time an activity connected with transformation of the “Shelter” object (the object has been erected to cover unit 4 of ChNPP destroyed by the accident at the April 26, 1986) in an ecologically safe system continues at ChNPP site. There are a large amount of scientific, engineering, economical and political issues connected to the both activities have been arisen in the past and should be resolved in the years to come.
Scope and the complexities of the tasks must be performed at the site, have no analogs in the world. The nuclear world has accumulated experience of different nuclear installations decommissioning, including NPP units, but still never taken out of service multiunit NPP in a full structure, including the unit, destroyed by the accident. Chernobyl site is unique because of 1986 accident consequences. The “Shelter” object is even more unique. The clear safety regulations for ChNPP decommissioning and the “Shelter” object transformation in an ecologically safe system are missed till now. The attempts to apply the regulations destined for “ordinary” nuclear installations in an “ordinary” surrounding environment brings up amount of issues. It is obvious that particular conditions of surrounding area, the exclusion zone, should be taken into account. The principle of “reasonable sufficiency” should be implemented to reach the safety goals of the ChNPP decommissioning and the “Shelter” object transformation without excessive financial loses and doze commitment.
Some important issues still remain unsolved: long-lived low and middle level solid radwaste (SRW) storage and storage of high-level SRW; damaged spent fuel assemblies management; polluted soil management. There is no solution on radioactive by-products management collected by the cooling lake of ChNPP in the consequences of the accident.
Large amount of radwaste and spent fuel collected at ChNPP site brings up the question about possibility and expediency of radwaste management infrastructure using which is created at ChNPP site in accordance to the National Radwaste Management Program. Obviously this question requires serious comprehensive analysis to make final decision.
Some of issues connected to peculiarities of ChNPP decommissioning and the “Shelter” object transformations in ecologically safe system (including coordination of both activities) are discussed in the presentation.
