Lithuania is preparing to dismantle the RBMK cores of the Ignalina nuclear power plant reactors, which are the same as those used in Chernobyl, and no one in the world has ever performed such a task.
The RBMK reactors used in the NPP were among the most powerful in the world. Currently, NPP employees are dismantling everything that can be dismantled safely and without the help of specially trained experts. The reactor core will be dismantled with the help of robots, using the latest technology, because people usually do not work with equipment that is so highly radioactive. It is expected that the dismantling of the graphite cores will be led by specialists from international companies, most likely from the US and France.
NPP Director Linas Baužys said that dismantling the reactor will be the most difficult task, and it will be done in Lithuania for the first time in the world. However, there is still a long way to go until then. Currently, tourists can still visit the reactor buildings. Guide Milda Kiškytė, who led visitors through the reactor, which is being gradually dismantled, said that tour times are booked weeks in advance.
Meanwhile, Visaginas is developing plans to turn the city into a nuclear tourism hub, as ordinary tourists provide limited economic benefits. The goal is to attract specialists and enthusiasts interested in nuclear energy.
NPP spokesperson Jolita Mažeikienė said that
about 45% of the equipment has now been dismantled.
Although all the nuclear fuel has been removed from the NPP, the entry protocol has remained unchanged. Visitors must wear double layers of clothing, gloves, hats and other protective equipment. Moving around the NPP is the same as when it is operating, as the surfaces in the buildings and the equipment left there are still highly radioactive.
Baužys said that the dismantling process should be completed by 2049. All the nuclear fuel that was in the reactors has already been removed and stored for 50 years, and in the meantime, the state must build a storage facility where the spent nuclear fuel must be moved by 2090. Geologists are currently evaluating 77 possible options for creating a storage facility in 30 municipalities. It has already been concluded that the Visaginas area is not suitable for creating a storage facility. Baužys emphasized that the location of the storage facility will be determined by scientists, not politicians, and political battles over its location are a distant future.
Some parts of the Ignalina NPP currently look like a scrap yard, and practically everything that could be demolished has already been cut up. The resulting metal is being auctioned or recycled. Baužys indicated that the goal is to clean at least 77% of the metal from radiation and include it in secondary circulation. For example, it is planned to purify 1,400 tons of copper, which could then be used to manufacture wind turbines. If the metal were not purified and reused, a much larger storage facility would have to be built, which would increase costs by millions of euros. The NPP director also added that they are still considering whether it is wise to demolish the main buildings, and whether they can still be preserved as a scientific research facility or technology center, rather than spending 100 million euros on dismantling.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2958312/lithuania-gears-up-to-dismantle-chornobyl-type-reactors-for-the-first-time-in-the-world
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