This file is no longer being updated. For information on
developments in the nuclear power industry, please see the Nuclear
Power Developments section.
Sosnovyy Bor, 70km from St. Petersburg
http://www.laes.sbor.ru
Independent
Director: Valeriy Lebedev
Deputy Director for Access Procedures:
Aleksandr Kostin
Technical Director: Yuriy Garusov
RBMK-1000 LWGR
Four
Unit 1: initial criticality 9/73 (operational 12/73)
Unit 2: initial criticality 5/75 (operational 7/75)
Unit 3: initial criticality 9/79 (operational 12/79)
Unit 4: initial criticality 12/80 (operational 2/81)
925 MWe per operating unit
Enriched to 2 percent
Units 1 and 2 are in operation.
Unit 3 came back on line on 25 October 1998 following three years of reconstruction.[1]
Unit 4 was shut down on 30 June 1998 for two years of reconstruction.[2]
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has been assisting
with safety improvements at Leningrad, focusing particularly on improving
the safety of day-to-day operations and upgrading critical plant safety
systems. To promote management and operational safety, Leningrad NPP
personnel underwent training in the development of improved operating safety
procedures. In addition, emergency operating instructions to improve
accident mitigation strategies were drafted. The transfer of training methodology
and materials for safety and maintenance measures developed at the Balakovo
Training Center to the Leningrad NPP is ongoing. Instructors at Leningrad NPP
have been trained in the methodology and a pilot course for
shift supervisors has been developed. To support the training program,
the Leningrad NPP was equipped with office machines, equipment, and supplies. The tools provided to enhance safety management activities consisted of
value-seat resurfacing equipment, a pipe lathe/weld-preparation machine
and a shaft alignment system. DOE has begun the installation and testing
of several engineering and technology upgrades including fire detection
equipment in Units 1 and 2 as well as a safety parameter display system
for Unit 4. To improve plant safety evaluations, a safety analysis group
was established in support of the probabilistic safety assessment and full-scope
in-depth safety assessment (ISA). To meet Russian regulatory requirements,
a plan to upgrade the plant's Unit 2 safety assessment to an ISA is underway.
The Leningrad NPP site serves as a temporary storage facility
for spent RBMK fuel.[1] Liquid waste is processed using the bituminization
technique. As of September 1999, waste in
the liquid radioactive waste storage facility exceeded
design capacity by 30 percent.[2] (See 9/7/99 entry
under Leningrad NPP Developments.) The plant does not have a solid
waste processing facility; its waste is sent to Radon
Special Combine-Leningrad.[3] (For more information on spent fuel and
radioactive waste developments at the Leningrad NPP please see the Radioactive
Waste Developments section of this file.)
Construction of Units 5 and 6 has been proposed; details
of the construction vary. A 1993 Nucleonics Week report stated that
Units 5 and 6 would be V-630 reactors, with construction to be completed
by 2010. Nuclear Engineering International's "World Nuclear Industry
Handbook 1996" lists Units 5 and 6 as 800 MW LWGR (RBMK) reactors. A 1996
Nucleonics
Week report stated that excavation has begun for a 640-MW VVER unit,
scheduled to be operational by 2003. The report also stated that the new
VVER design had been chosen instead of an improved RBMK design for the
Leningrad plant. (See also 8/22/96 entry
under Leningrad NPP Developments.) (For more information on new reactor
plans, please see the Northwest Scientific-Industrial
Center for Atomic Energy file.)
The Leningrad NPP generates 50% of the electricity used in
northwestern Russia and exports part of its output to Finland.[1] It
is the only NPP in Russia that is not a part of Rosenergoatom.[2]In
addition to having four RBMK-1000 reactors, the Leningrad NPP site
also has three submarine training reactors.
(For more recent developments,
see the Nuclear
Power Developments file):
For archived information
on construction of new reactors at the Northwest Scientific-Industrial Center
for Atomic Energy, please see the Northwest
Scientific-Industrial Center for Atomic Energy file.
12/2/99: GOSATOMNADZOR CONDUCTS INSPECTION AT LENINGRAD
NPP, CONSIDERS EXTENDING LIFE OF UNIT 1
On 2 December 1999, Gosatomnadzor concluded its first general
inspection of the Leningrad plant in three years. The results were largely
positive. Measures will be taken to deal with problem areas, after which
further inspections will occur. Reinspection of the reactor will begin
on 7 December 1999. Gosatomnadzor is also in the process of considering
the extension of the service life of Unit 1. Gosatomnadzor will not extend
the life of Unit 1 unless reconstruction of the unit is completed within
three years. If the unit is decommissioned, one quarter of the facility's
employees will lose their jobs.
10/11/99: ATTEMPT TO STEAL ELECTRICAL
CABLE FOILED
An undisclosed number of individuals
were caught attempting to steal electrical cables from the NPP.
9/7/99: SPENT
FUEL AT LENINGRAD NPP EXCEEDS DESIGN CAPACITY, WHISTLEBLOWER SUPPRESSED
For details of this development, see the 9/7/99
entry in the Leningrad NPP Waste Developments section.
7/99: LENINGRAD NPP TO GAIN WASTE SOLIDIFICATION
AND SOLIDIFIED-WASTE STORAGE FACILITIES
For details of this development, see the 7/99
entry in the Leningrad NPP Waste Developments section.
3/19/99: OLD
EQUIPMENT AND NUCLEAR WASTE STOCKPILES CHALLENGE SAFETY AT LENINGRAD NPP
There were 11 operational disruptions
at the Leningrad NPP in 1998, as opposed to 3 in 1997. According to a 19
March 1999 article in Smena, the increased number of incidents is
due to aging equipment. In addition, large stockpiles of spent nuclear
fuel are increasing safety risks. There are 25,000 drums of nuclear waste,
the future of which is unclear, currently located at the NPP.
3/21/99: LENINGRAD TO COMPLETE PREPARATIONS FOR YEAR 2000 BY JUNE 1999
On 21 March 1999, Yuriy Prokoshev, deputy head of Leningrad NPP's computer
department, stated that possible Y2K-related failures in the plant's computers
will not lead to any kind of serious accident, and there will be no disasters.
Electronic control systems for the reactors are on a separate system and
will not be affected by computer malfunction. Prokoshev said all systems
will be checked and emergency measures will be developed. Leningrad NPP
currently has around 1,000 computers, including 750 linked into a network
containing the main database for engineering support to the reactor block
operators, monitoring information, and a number of technological parameters.
These computers are to be reprogrammed, and by June 1999 the NPP's overall
preparation for the year 2000 must be completed, with results to be reported
to Minatom.
3/16/99: LENINGRAD NPP RECEIVES GOSATOMNADZOR
LICENSE, BEGINS NEW PRODUCTION VIA IRRADIATION
The Leningrad NPP is the first in the country to
receive a license from the Federal Inspectorate
for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (Gosatomnadzor) for handling radioactive
materials. The license allows the NPP to begin industrial production
using radiation.[1] The plant's RBMK reactors irradiate materials
while producing heat and electricity.[2] For instance, the Leningrad
NPP has irradiated topazes to cause them to change color, and is using
radiation to produce isotopes that can be used in the preparation of super-insulators
or the creation of polymers.[3] The Gosatomnadzor license also gives the
NPP permission to produce materials for semiconductors. The government
of Oman is reportedly interested in investing several million dollars in
the latter.[1]
2/99: LENINGRAD MOVES TO ERBIUM
FUEL
As Modern Power Systems reported
in February 1999, the Leningrad NPP has fully switched to the use of fuel
with an erbium absorber (erbium fuel). This fuel contributes to improved
cost effectiveness due to a higher burn-up coefficient. Leningrad is the
first Russian NPP using this type of fuel.
2/22/99: LENINGRAD NPP ASKS PERMISSION
TO EXPORT ELECTRICITY
At a Leningrad Oblast meeting at which
Prime Minister Yevgeniy Primakov was present, Leningrad NPP Director Valeriy
Lebedev requested that the NPP be given a quota to export 5 billion kilowatt-hours
of electricity per year. Noting that the NPP does not have sufficient
funds for reconstruction, and that only 7 percent of the payments received
by the NPP are in cash, Lebedev stated that another possible way for the
NPP to increase funding would be to raise the rates for NPP-produced electricity
by 15-20 percent. The rates have not been raised since 1997.
10/16/98: LENINGRAD NPP IN BANKRUPTCY
COURT
Rosvooruzheniye KBR, a company registered
in Dagestan which is not affiliated with Russian arms dealer Rosvooruzheniye,
has begun bankruptcy proceedings against the Leningrad NPP at the St. Petersburg
State Arbitration Court. Rosvooruzheniye KBR holds $317,000 in promissory
notes issued by the NPP. The plant owes $245 million to all of its
creditors, and is owed $241 million by its biggest debtors. In August,
the NPP filed its own court cases against the cities of Pskov and Kaliningrad
over their debts.
12/18/96: LENINGRAD NPP WORKERS START RECEIVING WAGES
According to Segodnya, Leningrad NPP received 1 billion
rubles and the administration began paying workers their 10/96 wages. It
is expected that the back wages for 11/96 and 12/96 will be paid in full
on 1/1/97.
12/15/96: SPECIALISTS DISCUSS SITUATION AT LENINGRAD NPP
Experts from Minatom, YeES Rossii, the Lenenergo company,
and the St. Petersburg Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences
met at Leningrad NPP to discuss the crisis at the plant. According to ITAR-TASS,
energy companies owe Leningrad NPP 565 billion rubles. Issues under discussion
included common policy to stabilize the situation at the plant, better
safety, and enhanced cooperation between a joint energy company of the
Leningrad NPP and Lenenergo as an alternative means to settle the non-payment
crisis.
12/9/96: HEAD OF TRADE UNIONS BACKS LENINGRAD NPP WORKERS
According to the Leningrad NPP medical clinic, plant workers
ended their hunger strike due to health reasons. While representatives
of the arbitration court have been examining the situation, the conflict
between workers and the plant's administration has not been settled. According
to the trade unions, workers are demanding unpaid wages totaling 27.9 billion
rubles. Due to the strike, Gosatomnadzor ordered Leningrad NPP's power
units off line out of safety concerns. Yevgeniy Makarov, head of the St.
Petersburg and Leningrad region trade union organization, expressed his
support for the workers strike at Leningrad NPP at the Third Congress of
the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia in Moscow.
12/6/96: GOSATOMNADZOR SHUTDOWN DEADLINE
IGNORED
Leningrad NPP Deputy Director Aleksandr Kostin stated that
the plant did not follow a Gosatomnadzor order to shut down the reactors
on 6 December 1996 because the plant administration "hopes to settle the
conflict between workers and the plant's management in the near future."
Gosatomnadzor issued the order out of concern that safety could not be
guaranteed, given what a labor leader termed "instability and nervousness"
among the workers.
12/2/96: WARNING STRIKE EXPANDS AT LENINGRAD NPP
According to chairman of Leningrad NPP trade union committee
Mikhail Vovsyanoy, more than 150 workers joined the warning strike at Leningrad
NPP. Workers issued an ultimatum to the Leningrad NPP administration
stating that if wages were not paid as soon as possible, a full-scale protest
action would be launched. However, plant authorities were unable to fulfill
these demands due to of lack of money. In addition, workers insisted that
the plant's worst debtors be disconnected from the power supply; that the
new plant director resign, to be replaced by somebody from the outside;
and that the government step down.
11/29/96: HUNGER STRIKE
AT LENINGRAD NPP
Four engineers refused to leave Leningrad NPP's premises
and called for an unlimited hunger strike. The number of hunger strikers
later rose to 13 workers. Workers demand payment of back wages, which they
have not received for four months.
11/1/96: FINLAND GRANTS LENINGRAD NPP $10 MILLION
The Finnish government has approved $10 million in aid for
the Leningrad NPP, to be used for upgrading warning and safety systems
at the plant.
10/10/96: RADIOACTIVE WATER LEAKING FROM LENINGRAD NPP
The Russian environmental organization Zelenyy Mir announced
that radioactive water is leaking from Leningrad NPP's cooling ponds, and
is flowing directly into the Gulf of Finland. According to the Finnish
Radiation Protection Institute, the leak is minimal. Russian authorities
claim that the leak presents very little danger.
8/26/96: PROTESTS RESUMED
Workers at the Leningrad nuclear power plant resumed protest
actions on 8/26/96, reported ITAR-TASS. The worker's committee also decided
to picket the Russian government building in Moscow from 9/30/96 to 10/02/96.
The plant's employees demand full payment of wage arrears, which amount
to 8 billion rubles ($1.5 million), and the investigation of the management's
financial activities, reported Radio Rossii. Minister of Atomic Energy
Viktor Mikhailov claimed that the Ministry of Atomic Energy transferred
5 billion rubles to the plant's account. These funds were used to pay the
wages for 5/96. Another 10 billion - ruble credit, intended for paying
6/96 salaries, will be disbursed by the end of 9/96. ITAR-TASS reported
that the wage arrears totaled 30 billion rubles ($5.6 million), a substantially
larger amount than the one reported by Radio Rossii.
8/22/96: NEW VVER APPROVED FOR LENINGRAD
Gosatomnadzor approved the design and Minatom approved construction
of a new 640-MW VVER reactor at the Leningrad station, which will begin
operating in 2003. The decision to build the VVER at Leningrad shows a
move away from development of a new RBMK model, an improved channel-type
reactor which was once in competition with the new VVER design. This unit
will be the first in a series of replacement units for the Leningrad and
Kola reactors. OKB Gidropress is the chief designer of the unit. Architect/engineers
for the pilot project at Leningrad would be Atomenergoproyekt of St. Petersburg.
Minatom officials plan to pay for the new units with profits from uranium
sales. Financial problems at the Leningrad plant, however, make construction
plans problematic. A review of the plant's accounts showed that the amount
of money due from electricity sales was less than expected, so debts are
much higher, said Heikki Reponen, manager of foreign relations at the Finnish
Center for Radiation & Nuclear Safety. Reponen said that it was unclear
how Leningrad will pay Siemens for the contracted instrumentation &
control equipment. Deadlines for finishing safety work at Leningrad were
extended from 1997 to the end of 1999.
8/15/96: SIEMENS AND LENINGRAD NPP CONCLUDE VVER
AGREEMENT
The German firm Siemens and the Russian representative of
the Leningrad nuclear power plant concluded an agreement to jointly design
and build new VVER-640 nuclear power units. The first unit will be built
at the Sosnovyy Bor. Siemens will be responsible for design, assembling
and installation of control system. Russia will pay Germany with unenriched
uranium. The VVER-640s will gradually replace the old RBMK power units.
7/22/96: DIRECTOR OF LENINGRAD NPP RESIGNS, STRIKE CONTINUES
Nearly 50 billion rubles ($9.8 million) have been withheld
in payment of wages to the workers at the plant since the middle of 3/96.
A protest was initiated by the workers of Leningrad NPP on 6/24/96. Since
by definition, a strike at a nuclear power plant is against the law, workers
have refused to leave their work places as a form of protest.
One of the demands of the protesters was the breaking contract
with the director of the plant, whose management contributed to the financial
crisis there. As a result, Anatoliy Yeperin, director of Leningrad NPP,
announced his resignation. After 10 days of investigation, a commission
of Leningrad oblast authorities found that Yeperin abused his official
position. A criminal case against Yeperin (under Article 138 of the Criminal
Code) is being initiated by the Deputy Procurator of Leningrad Oblast.
Workers are also demanding that the plant's accounts be audited
by the Auditing and Control Directorate of the Ministry of Finance.
7/4/96: WORKERS AT LENINGRAD NPP DECIDE TO RESUME STRIKE
Three thousand workers from Leningrad NPP held a protest
meeting at Sosnovyy Bor and decided to continue protesting until their
demands are met: payment of wages, dissolution of contract with the plant's
director, and an independent audit of the Leningrad NPP books. The form
of protest remains the same-workers refuse to leave their work stations.
According to union leader Aleksander Barantsov, the strike will not affect
the safety of the plant. In addition, NPP operator Nikolay Yashin announced
he will begin a hunger strike on 7/4/96.
6/30/96: STRIKE SUSPENDED AT LENINGRAD NPP
According to Post-Soviet Nuclear & Defense Monitor,
the strike at Leningrad NPP was suspended on 6/30/96. The protest action
was stopped for the second round of presidential elections to emphasize
the non-political character of the strike.
6/24/96: STRIKE BEGINS AT LENINGRAD NPP
According to chairman of plant's union Aleksandr Barantsov,
a strike has begun at Leningrad NPP. Since striking at a nuclear power
is forbidden by law, workers have refused to leave their work place as
a form of protest. According to Barantsov, workers demand 9 billion rubles
for 3/96 wages, the dissolution of the contract with plant director Anatoliy
Yeperin, and an audit of Leningrad NPP books.
6/13/96: LENINGRAD NPP WORKERS HOLD CONFERENCE ON SITUATION
AT PLANT
The workers of the Leningrad NNP held a conference to examine
the situation at the NPP. During this conference, workers expressed no
confidence in plant director Anatoliy Yeperin, demanded that Minister Mikhailov
dissolve a contract with Yeperin and called the union to take the plant's
administration to court for breaking the law 'On collective agreements'.
The conference participants decided to stage a protest on 7/24/96.
6/96: UNITS 1 AND 2 BACK ON LINE
Leningrad Units 1 and 2 came back on line in 6/96 after an
18-month shutdown for replacement of roughly 1,600 fuel channels per unit.
Unit 3 is still shut down, and the decision has been made to change only
the 600 channels in the center of the core. Russian specialists determined
that the gap reduction between pressure tubes and graphite stack in the
peripheral channels at Leningrad-3 made channel replacement unnecessary.
6/3-7/96: LENINGRAD NPP REVIEWED BY ASSET
The IAEA-sponsored Assessment of Safety Significant Events
Team (ASSET) reviewed the four-unit RBMK station and reported great improvements
in the plant's safety, cleanliness and personnel management since 1993.
While generally approving of the way the station reports incidents in the
International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), the ASSET mission concluded that
the plant's surveillance program is inadequate, since events resulting
from operational failures were six times more frequent than those discovered
during routine surveillance. Of 27 relevant safety-related events during
1993-1995, 59.3% had to do with procedures or personnel, 25.9% with non-operational
equipment, and 14.8% with deviations from operational limits and conditions.
Operating and maintenance problems related to personnel substantially decreased
since 1993. The only significant safety event, rated INES Level 1, was
a steam leakage from steam generator, resulting from inadequate maintenance
procedure and insufficient safety culture. A new, faster and more efficient
Skala neutron flux monitoring system is scheduled to be delivered to the
plant by the end of 1996. Plant manager Anatoliy Yeperin said that an action
plan will be developed to implement the changes recommended by the ASSET
review.
5/96: LENINGRAD-1 TO BE MODEL FOR OTHER PLANTS
Large renovations and improvements at Leningrad-1 will be
used as a model for nuclear plants throughout Russia, said Arthur Petrov,
the Gosatomnadzor senior officer in charge of safety at the station. Among
other changes, the emergency shutdown system has been replaced and now
has redundancies; the emergency core cooling system is also being upgraded.
The lack of funds has hindered safety modifications. Some money is provided
by ECU 31-million grant from the Nuclear Safety Account of the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Safety improvements at
the plant are planned to be finished by 1998, and the first replacement
reactor is to go on line in 2003. Meanwhile, operators have started training
on a simulator, which, in addition to training for normal operation, will
be used to analyze accidents and evaluate problems.
4/19/96: IAEA SAFETY PROJECT PLANNED FOR LENINGRAD
According to Swedish sources, the IAEA envisions to carry
out a $40 million project to enhance safety at the nuclear power plant
in Sosnovyy Bor. Swedish IAEA specialists were tasked with the first comprehensive
safety evaluation of the plant.
3/26/96: NEW VVER-640 TO BE BUILT
Construction of VVER-640 is planned at Sosnovyy Bor, according
to Minatom Minister Mikhailov.
12/21/95: LENINGRAD PLANT TO UPGRADE EQUIPMENT
The Leningrad NPP and the German company Nukem plan to hold
an open international tender in 1/96 or 2/96 for the purchase of new equipment
for the plant. The tender will be conducted under the auspices of the program
for improving nuclear safety established by the Russian government and
the EBRD in 7/95. EBRD has already allocated 35 million ECU for safety
upgrades at the plant.
12/5/95: ACCIDENT SIMULATION CONDUCTED
An accident was simulated at the Leningrad NPP. The objective
of the this international training session was to practice the response
to a nuclear accident and to test the quick exchange of information between
neighboring countries in an emergency situation.
11/4/95: NEW VVER-630 TO BE INSTALLED
After the year 2000, a new VVER-640 reactor will be installed
at the Sosnovyy Bor center. The VVER-640 is a new generation nuclear reactor
designed during a three-year joint Russian-German project conducted by
Minatom and the German company Siemens. Although it is still an outstanding
issue, as the operator, the Russian side is likely to take the responsibility
for potential safety problems at the reactor, as it will operate the reactor.
8/95: MINATOM AWAITS APPROVAL FOR NEW NP-500 REACTOR
Minatom hopes to get Gosatomnadzor's approval for construction
of an NP-500 unit at the Leningrad nuclear power plant near St. Petersburg.
5/95: SECURITY INCREASED AT LENINGRAD PLANT
Security at the Leningrad NPP has been increased in order
to protect the plant against terrorist acts.
4/21/95: EXCESS SPENT FUEL MAY NECESSITATE
SHUTDOWN
For details of this development, see
the 4/21/95 entry in the Leningrad NPP Waste Developments
section.
2/3/95: PLANS UNVEILED FOR 10 NEW REACTORS
The existence of two construction plans, which together describe
the building of 10 new reactors, was revealed at a Helsinki seminar. The
reactors would come on line between 2003 and 2011. According to an agreement
reached between the facility and 17 St. Petersburg military plants, a new
RBMK reactor will be constructed at Sosnovyy Bor sometime before the current
reactors have to be decommissioned. The current RBMK reactors are scheduled
to be replaced by five MKER-800 reactors. An additional three MKER (wattage
not given) reactors would be built sometime thereafter several kilometers
to the west of the present facility. The second plan, which reportedly
has the support of Gosatomnadzor and the Russian Environmental Ministry's
Goskompriroda, calls for the construction, starting this year, of a PWR.
1/95: SIMULATORS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
It was reported that there are simulators under construction
at Leningrad NPP Units 1 to 4.
12/94: EMERGENCY UNLOADING IMPOSSIBLE
AT ALL LENINGRAD UNITS
For details of this development, see
the 12/94 entry in the Leningrad NPP Waste Developments
section.
4/23/94: NEW SAFETY SYSTEM AT LENINGRAD UNIT 1
Safety precautions have been installed in Unit 1. The technological
channels, inside graphite covering, and protection system were all replaced.
1/94: PLANS FOR NEW VVER-500 CONSTRUCTION OUTSIDE
ST. PETERSBURG
Plans have been made to build a 630 MWe VVER-500 reactor
near St. Petersburg with 2000 being the earliest start-up date. The reactor
will be within a double-shield containment structure.
11/16/93: VVER-500 TO BE BUILT AT SOSNOVYY BOR
Rosenergoatom spokesman Sergey Yermakov stated that Russia
plans to build a new nuclear reactor with enhanced safety features at Sosnovyy
Bor but construction is not likely to begin before 2000. Minatom decided
to build a 630 MWe VVER-500 advanced pressurized water reactor, with a
reported capacity of 600 MWe. The new reactor has a designed service life
of 60 years and will automatically shut down should an accident occur,
but construction of the reactor is dependent upon local acceptance. Two
VVER-500 reactors were to be built some years ago near Nizhniy Novgorod
and Voronezh, but the plans were abandoned because of local resistance.
2/28/93: ROSENERGOATOM DENIES LENINGRAD NPP SIMULATOR
ACCESS
Leningrad NPP was the only nuclear power plant which refused
to join the newly formed the Russian nuclear power plant operations consortium,
"Rosenergoatom." Rosenergoatom retaliated by blocking the sale of an American-made
nuclear power plant simulator to the plant that has undertaken an ambitious
safety upgrade program.
LENINGRAD NPP WASTE DEVELOPMENTS:
9/7/99:
SPENT FUEL AT LENINGRAD NPP EXCEEDS DESIGN CAPACITY, WHISTLEBLOWER SUPPRESSED
Oleg Bodrov, head of the Sosnovyy Bor
environmental group Green World, says that Leningrad NPP's storage facility
has cracks in the walls and roof, and is storing 30 percent more spent
fuel assemblies than allowed in the original design. Gosatomnadzor
did not require an environmental assessment of the storage facility after
the reconfiguring modernization in the fall of 1996.[1] Sergey Kharitonov,
an engineer at Leningrad NPP who worked in the storage facility at the
time, publicly criticized the new storage methods, whereby twice as much
waste is being stored in the same facility by placing the fuel rods more
closely together. Kharitonov was laid off,[2] but subsequently won
his job back in court. However, the NPP has only allowed him back
into the NPP locker room.[1]
7/99: LENINGRAD NPP TO GAIN
WASTE SOLIDIFICATION AND SOLIDIFIED-WASTE STORAGE FACILITIES
The European Commission's TACIS
program is funding turnkey construction of a resin retrieval and solidification
facility and a storage unit for the cement-solidified waste. France's
SGN has won the 30-month fixed-price contract, and will provide equipment
design and expertise to its subcontractor, VNIPIET.
4/24/99: LENINGRAD NPP TO SORT NUCLEAR
WASTE
The French firm SGN is aiding in the
design and construction of equipment to sort waste at the NPP by level
of radioactivity. This will allow the waste to be burned, melted,
and compressed, and thereby take up less storage space.
3/19/99: OLD EQUIPMENT AND NUCLEAR
WASTE STOCKPILES CHALLENGE SAFETY AT LENINGRAD NPP
For details of this development, see the 3/19/99
entry in the Leningrad NPP Developments section.
4/21/95: EXCESS SPENT FUEL
MAY NECESSITATE SHUTDOWN
Nikolai Yegorov, Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy, stated
that the Leningrad NPP might have to be shut down in the near future due
to an overload of spent fuel in the plant's storage facility. Boris Budylin,
deputy chief of the main directorate of nuclear reactors under the Ministry
of Atomic Energy, predicted that if a new storage facility is not built
and Gosatomnadzor does not agree to the condensation of already stored
spent fuel, the plant would have to be shut down within the next three
years.
12/94: EMERGENCY UNLOADING
IMPOSSIBLE AT ALL LENINGRAD UNITS
By the end of 1994, it had become impossible to perform "emergency
core unloading" at all units due to over-filled cooling and storage ponds.
Safety regulations require that sufficient space be left in cooling ponds
to allow for the unloading of the reactor core in the event of an emergency.
Last updated 24 October 2000
For more recent developments,
see the
Nuclear
Power Developments file.
Comments or questions? Contact Cristina Chuen at MIIS CNS: cristina.chuen@miis.edu
This material is produced independently for NTI
by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies and
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has
not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers,
employees, agents. Copyright © 2010 by MIIS.
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