18.10.2016
Ignalina/Essen/Alzenau, 18th October 2016. On 14th October 2016, the Ignalina NPP Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility (ISFSF) in Lithuania was officially inaugurated by placing the first spent fuel cask for storage.
The Interim Storage with its equipment was specially developed, ready-for-use designed and built for Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) by a consortium consisting of NUKEM Technologies GmbH and GNS Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service mbH. The project is financed with funds of international decommissioning foundation, which is governed by EBRD.
Theapprox.2,370 m2 interim storage is located in direct proximity to the power plant. The fuel extracted from both RBMK-reactors of the Power plant will be safely stored here for about 50 years in 200 casks CONSTOR® RBMK 1500/M2specially designed for Ignalina.
During the official opening ceremony on Ignalina site, the Deputy Energy Secretary of Lithuania Rokas Baliukovas emphasized the value of this milestone for decommissioning of the Ignalina NPP, which once was the most high-powered nuclear power plant in the world. The complete removal of spent fuel out of both RBMK-reactors’ units as well as its safe packaging and storing is an important prerequisite for further decommissioning of the power plant here. The Director of the power plant Darius Januleviciusexplained the process of transfer and storing of the casks and thanked the Lithuanian Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI), the European bank for reconstruction and development, the consortium NUKEM-GNS as well as all participants of the project for the successful cooperation during the past years.
GNS Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service mbH is in charge of all operations regarding the disposal of the waste and residual materials arising from operation, decommissioning and dismantling of all nuclear power plants in Germany. Being the inventor and manufacturer of the CASTOR® and CONSTOR® casks, GNS is furthermore the world leading supplier of casks for spent fuel.
NUKEM Technologies in Alzenau, Germany, is world-wide active in the areas of management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, decommissioning of nuclear facilities, engineering and consulting. Since 2009, NUKEM Technologies is part of ASE Group (Engineering division of SC ROSATOM).
Contact NUKEM:
Bea Heinze
Communications Manager
+49 6023 91-1549
bea.heinze@nukemtechnologies.de