3/20/2001: TEST OPERATION OF DRY STORAGE CONTAINERS
AT ZAPORIZHZHYA MAY START BY END OF JUNE 2001 Interfax reported on 20 March 2001 that three spent
nuclear fuel dry storage containers located at the Zaporizhzhya NPP may begin
test operation by the end of the first half of 2001. For additional
information see the 3/20/2001 entry in
the Ukraine: Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste
Developments.{Entered 5/23/2001 MJ}
6/5/2000: UKRAINIAN GREEN PARTY PROTESTS AGAINST
NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE AT ZAPORIZHZHYA NPP The Nikopol organization of the Green Party of Ukraine
issued a statement on 5 June 2000 protesting against the plan to store
spent nuclear fuel at the Zaporizhzhya NPP. The statement expressed
concerns that the storage facilities are located in a potential flood zone
in a densely populated region of Ukraine. Moreover, according to
the statement, Zaporizhzhya NPP already has the second largest accumulation
of nuclear waste in Ukraine, after Chornobyl, with 14,000 cubic meters
of radioactive waste.
["Partiya zelenykh Ukrainy protestuyet
protiv vvedeniya v ekspluatatsiyu khranilishch yadernykh otkhodov na Zaporozhskoy
AES," Interfax, No.3, 5 June 2000.] {Entered 6/30/2000 MJ}
5/7/2000: ENERHOATOM CONFIDENT
THAT GOVERNMENT WILL APPROVE DRY STORAGE SITES AT ZAPORIZHZHYA NPP On 7 May 2000, Interfax reported that Viktor Stovbun,
executive director of production at Enerhoatom,
announced at an international conference on energy safety in Kiev that
he was confident the Ukrainian government would approve the use of dry
storage sites at the Zaporizhzhya NPP. Twenty containers are being built
by the Enerhodarskiy Construction Design Plant in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.
Ukraine is attempting to reduce the amount of spent fuel it sends to Russia
for reprocessing. Dry storage facilities would give Ukraine up to 50 years
to solve the problem of further waste storage and reprocessing. For
a related story, see the 3/2000 entry
in the Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Developments
section.
["Na Ukraine gotovitsya k ekspluatatsii
khranilishche otrabotannogo yadernogo topliva na Zaporozhskoy AES," Interfax,
No. 12, 7 May 2000.] {Entered 5/22/2000, GD}
4/3/2000: SPENT FUEL SHIPMENT ARRIVES IN ZHELEZNOGORSK On 3 April 2000 Bellona reported that a trainload
of spent fuel from the Zaporizhzhya NPP had arrived at the Zheleznogorsk
Mining and Chemical Combine in Russia.[1] Ukraine is attempting
to temporarily store spent fuel at its NPPs in order to avoid costly shipments
to Russia; however, licensing for these storage sites has been put off
indefinitely.[2] For more information on the licensing issue, see
the 3/2000 entry under
Ukraine:
Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Developments.
Sources: [1] Igor Kudrik, "Ukrainian spent fuel
arrives to Russia," 3 April 2000, Bellona Website, http://www.bellona.no. [2] "Decision on licensing operation
of storage facilities for nuclear fuel wastes in Ukraine put off for uncertain
period,"Interfax-Ukraine Business Panorama, 28 February-6 March 2000, Issue
371; in "Ukraine Business Panorama for 6 March 2000," 7 March 2000,
FBIS Document CEP20000307000053. {Entered 5/16/2000 GD}
3/2000: LICENSING OF DRY STORAGE SITES FOR SPENT
FUEL PUT ON INDEFINITE HOLD For more information, see the 3/2000
entry under Ukraine: Spent Fuel and
Radioactive Waste Developments.
{Entered 5/16/2000 GD} 9/3/99: ZAPORIZHZHYA NPP PLANS TO
PUT WASTE FACILITY INTO OPERATION IN 2000 Zaporizhzhya NPP's first dry radioactive
waste storage facilities will go into operation in the first quarter of
2000. The storage facility, built in Ukraine, will eventually house 300
containers and will accommodate all Zaporizhzhya's spent nuclear fuel.
Construction will cost $85 million, which is $15 million less than Ukraine's
yearly cost for shipping nuclear waste to Russia. In addition, the price
to store 1kg of used nuclear fuel will be $32, while Russia's fee for 1kg
is $65 and could reach $120 in 2000.[1] Zaporizhzhya NPP plans to terminate
shipments of spent nuclear fuel to Russia in November 1999.[2]
Sources: [1] "Na Ukraine v 2000 godu budet pushchena
pervaya ochered khranilishcha otrabotannovo yadernogo topliva," Interfax,
3 September 1999. [2] "Ukraina prekrashchayet otpravku
otkhodov v Rossiyu," Anti-Atom Press, cci.glasnet.ru/antinuclear/rus/aap/aap225.htm,
No. 225, October 1999. {Entered 9/3/99 SK}
2/11/99: ZAPORIZHZHYA RECEIVES LICENSE TO BURN
RADIOACTIVE WASTE Zaporizhzhya NPP received a license to burn the radioactive
waste created by energy production.
[Volodymyr Yeremenko, DINAU, 11 February
1999; in "Nuclear Power Plant Licenced to Burn Radioactive Waste," FBIS
Document FTS19990212000929.] {Entered 11/15/99 SK}
1/6/99: KRASNOYARSK DECISION PROMPTS UKRAINE TO
ACCELERATE PLANS FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL STORAGE FACILITY For details of this development, see the 1/6/99
entry in the Zaporizhzhya NPP Developments file.
1/5/99: RUSSIAN MINISTER OF ATOMIC ENERGY TRAVELS
TO KRASNOYARSK TO INVESTIGATE SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL DISPUTE For details of this development, see the 1/5/99
entry in the Zaporizhzhya NPP Developments file.
11/17/98: RUSSIA ANNOUNCES IT WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT
UKRAINIAN SPENT FUEL FOR STORAGE For details of this development, see the 11/17/98
entry in the Zaporizhzhya NPP Developments file.
3/2/97: ZAPORIZHZHYA SPENT FUEL
STORAGE TANKS NEAR COMPLETION Three cylindrical spent fuel storage
repositories, manufactured at Zaporizhzhya using Ukrainian materials and
US equipment, are almost complete. The first set of fuel assemblies are
expected to be placed in the dry storage containers in early May 1997,
and the second set of fuel assemblies is expected to be loaded in July
1997.
[Radio Ukraine, 2 March 1997; in "Zaporozhye
Spent Fuel Storage Repositories Nearly Complete," FBIS-TAC-97-008]{Entered
12/18/97 JP} 6/96: STORAGE OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL
WILL BEGIN IN 1996 Storage of spent nuclear fuel in the
casks delivered to Zaporizhzhya by Duke Engineering is to begin in 1996.
[Peter Coryn, "Ukraine Government Passes
Waste Plan, But Hitch Delays Implementation," NuclearFuel, 6/3/96.]
1/12/96:US TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT
DELIVERED A waste canister transporter was delivered
from Baltimore to transport the containers with spent nuclear fuel from
the reactor to the site where the storage casks will be located. The technical
support for this project was supplied by the Kharkiv Institute's Enerhoproekt
and the European representative of Duke Engineering Services, in conjunction
with Sierra Nuclear Corp..
["Vidkhodam Mistse U Skhovyshchi,"
Holos Ukrainy, 1/12/96, p. 4.]
10/23/95:IN 40-50 YEARS
WASTE WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO UNDERGROUND REPOSITORY The dry storage casks at Zaporizhzhya
are designed to store radioactive waste for 40-50 years, at which time
the waste will be transferred to an underground repository. The cost of
Ukraine's overall spent fuel management program from 1995-2010 is estimated
to be $550 million. It was also reported that transportation costs for
one kilogram of spent fuel range from $600-1000. Storage costs from $30-150
per kilogram.
[Peter Coryn and Ann MacLachlan, "Ukraine
Begins Reviewing Bids For VVER Fuel Fabrication Plant," NuclearFuel,
10/23/95, p. 7-8.]
10/95:US COMPANY WINS CONTRACT
TO SUPPLY WASTE CANISTER TRANSPORTER TO ZAPORIZHZHYA The US company J&R Engineering
won a contract to supply a waste canister transporter to Zaporizhzhya.
The contract is due to be completed by 11/95.
["Transport," Nuclear Engineering
International, 10/95, p. 55.]
9/1/95:FIRST STORAGE CONTAINERS
WILL BE READY BY THE END OF YEAR Mykola Oberkovich from Derzhkomatom
announced that the first dry cask storage containers, constructed by the
US company Duke Power, will be ready for use at the Zaporizhzhya NPP by
the end of the year.
["Storage Casks, Radiation Detection
System at Zaporizhzhya," Post-Soviet Nuclear and Defense Monitor,
9/1/95, p. 13.]
7-8/95:NO DANGER FROM ZAPORIZHZHYA
STORAGE FACILITY According to this source, a report
confirms that the Zaporizhzhya dry storage facility creates no danger for
the station personnel nor for the environment. The source did not specify
whether this was a state document or a report prepared by plant personnel.
[Nikolai Kurilchik and Alexei Breus
,"Ukraine," Nuclear Europe Worldscan, 7-8/95, p. 76.]
7/8/95:CONSTRUCTION OF WASTE
STORAGE CASKS IS TO BEGIN THIS YEAR Duke Engineering's waste storage project
at this site is being examined by the Ministry of Environmental Protection
and Nuclear Safety. The construction of the waste storage casks is to begin
this year. Otherwise, two units would have to be stopped every year, beginning
in 1996, due to a lack of spent fuel storage space.
[UNIAN, 7/8/95; in "Transfer of Exhausted
Nuclear Fuel to Russia Resumes," FBIS-SOV-95-131, 7/8/95.]
6/19/95: SAFEGUARDS DIVISION WILL
LICENSE NEW FUEL STORAGE FACILITY AT ZAPORIZHZHYA The Safeguards Division in the Nuclear
Regulatory Administration is currently in the process of licensing a new
fuel storage facility at Zaporizhzhya. There are plans to build similar
facilities at every nuclear power plant, but thus far there are only concrete
plans for this site.
[CISNP interview with Ukrainian nuclear
official, 6/19/95.]
2/95: ZAPORIZHZHYA NEEDS 500 CASKS
FOR SPENT FUEL: 14 WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE END OF YEAR By the end of 1995, the first of fourteen
ventilated spent fuel casks provided by Duke Engineering & Services
should be installed and ready for receive spent fuel. The on-site fuel
storage ponds are only designed to hold five years worth of spent fuel
and do not have the flexibility to be re-racked in order to make more space,
as is the case in many Western plants; this is because the storage pools
are located inside the reactor containment sites and can only be accessed
when the reactors are off-line. Zaporizhzhya may eventually need up to
500 casks for the spent fuel from all six units.
["US Fuel Casks for Zaporizhzhya in
1995," Nuclear Engineering International, 2/95, p. 6.]
11/94:DUKE WILL DELIVER
14 CASKS TO ZAPORIZHZHYA Duke Engineering & Services and
its subcontractor Sierra Nuclear Corp. will provide three complete concrete
ventilated casks for spent fuel storage at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power
plant. The US Department of Energy, through the Brookhaven National Laboratory,
will provide several millions of dollars for the construction, delivery,
and installation of these three casks. Duke has a contract with Zaporizhzhya
NPP to deliver a total of 14 casks.[1] This deal is part of the "Lisbon
Initiative" signed in 1992 to improve nuclear safety in the former Soviet
Union. The goal is for Ukraine to be able to produce the containers domestically
in the future. Reportedly, without this additional storage space, the plant
would have to be shut down at some point during 1995. If Zaporizhzhya remains
operational, it will be more feasible for Ukraine to shut down Chornobyl.[2]
Sources: [1] UI News Briefing 94/50, p. 2. [2] Elaine Hiruo, "DOE Will Pick Up
Tab For Three Casks Sold To Zaporizhzhya Plant In Ukraine," Nucleonics
Week, 12/19/94, pp. 8-9.
6/29/94:US AGENCY PROVIDES
$300,000 FOR SPENT FUEL STORAGE FACILITY AT ZAPORIZHZHYA The US Agency for Trade and Development
has granted $300,000 for the project to build a dry storage facility for
spent fuel at Zaporizhzhya. Duke Engineering & Services, Inc., which
will undertake the construction, will provide an additional $200,000. Ontario
Hydro will use a $2.1 million Canadian government grant to transfer to
Ukraine the technology for manufacturing containers for spent fuel.
Sources: [1] Holos Ukrainy, 6/29/94;
in "AES Director Views Agreement With US Company," FBIS-SOV-94-127, 7/1/94,
p. 40. [2] Source Book: Soviet-Designed
Nuclear Power Plants In Russia, Ukraine Lithuania, Armenia, The Czech Republic,
The Slovak Republic, Hungary And Bulgaria; 1996, p. 138.
6/26/94: REFERENDUM VOTES AGAINST
ZAPORIZHZHYA SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL STORAGE FACILITIES A local referendum in Kaminskodiprovsk
and Nikopilskiy regions was held during the Presidential elections to determine
whether or not new storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel should be
built at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Sixty-three percent of the
votes were against the proposal. Following Russia's refusal to accept the
spent fuel, Ukrainian authorities saw their options as either building
storage facilities or shutting down the power plant. Duke Engineering and
Services, Inc. was sought out by Ukrainian officials for recommendations
on the safest and most secure systems for nuclear fuel storage.
Sources: [1] "Populism is the Nuclear Industry's
Enemy," VestnikChernobylya, No. 46 (565), 7/94. [2] Personal correspondence with Prof.
David Marples, University of Alberta, 12/4/94.
2/94: ZAPORIZHZHYA SPENT FUEL STORAGE
FACILITY PROJECT IS DELAYED Duke Engineering & Services, Inc.
has a contract with Derzhkomatom to construct a dry storage facility for
spent fuel at Zaporizhzhya. However, this project has been delayed due
to lack of a commitment of US funds. Funding for the project may come out
of aid from the United States for improving nuclear reactor safety. Nur
Nihmatullin, first deputy chairman of the committee, noted that if the
project with Duke Engineering is successful, it could be extended to all
the nuclear power plants in Ukraine with VVER-1000 reactors.
["US Funds Needed For Duke-Ukraine
Spent Fuel Facility Project," Post-Soviet Nuclear Complex Monitor,
Vol. 1, No. 19, 2/28/94.]
1/94: NO SOLUTION FOR STORING SPENT
FUEL HAS BEEN FOUND YET First Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian
State Committee for the Use of Atomic Energy (Derzhkomatom) Nur Nihmatullin
stated that on-site concrete containers will be used to alleviate the problem
of storing spent fuel because they can be built with "the maximum of local
resources" and in the "shortest possible time." Zaporizhzhya has signed
a contract with the American company Sierra Nuclear Corporation, a subsidiary
of Duke Engineering & Services, Inc., for ventilated storage casks.
The casks will be modified for the Ukrainian plants but representatives
of Sierra declined to reveal the fuel capacity of the casks, the number
of casks ordered, or the cost. Nihmatullin stated that the Soviet storage
plans allowed for no more than three years of on-site storage, and no fuel
has left Ukraine in over two years. South Ukraine was able to re-rack its
ponds, but such measures are only short-term solutions. NUCLEAR FUEL reported
that the Ukrainian regulatory committee has suggested the creation of a
central dry storage facility. However, the Committee's Chairman, Nikolai
Steinberg, says such a proposal was never made. Financial problems are
intensified by the difficulty encountered in trying to collect payments
for the electricity generated. Additionally, spare parts are hard to find
and Russian employees are returning to Russia, where salaries are ten times
higher.
[Ann MacLachlan, "Ukraine On Way To
Ending Storage Crisis; Construction Slated To Begin This Year," NuclearFuel,
1/17/94, pp. 16-17.]
12/93: ZAPORIZHZHYA NPP CONTRACT The Zaporizhzhya NPP signed a contract
with the US company Duke Engineering Services for fourteen dry storage
casks.
[Thomas Cochran, Miriam Bowling, and
Elizabeth Powers, "Difficult Legacy: Spent Fuel From Nuclear Reactors,"
Nuclear Weapons Databook, 1/31/96, pp. 25-27.]
9/93:FIRST OF THREE UNITS
AT ZAPORIZHZHYA COULD BE SHUT DOWN AT THE BEGINNING OF 1994 The on-site storage pools of Zaporizhzhya,
Rivne, and Khmelnytsky are nearing capacity. Zaporizhzhya has already begun
filling the emergency section of their pool and, according to First Deputy
Chairman of the Ukrainian State Committee on Nuclear and Radiation Safety
Heorgi Kopchinsky, the first of three units at Zaporizhzhya will have to
shut down at the beginning of 1994 if no alternative is found.
[Ann MacLachlan, "Lack Of Spent Fuel
Storage May Force Shut Down Of Several Ukrainian Units," NuclearFuel,
9/27/93, pp. 12-13.]
This file is no longer being updated. For information on
developments in the nuclear power industry, please see the
