Lithuania is decommissioning the Ignalina NPP (INPP, located near the city of Visaginas), which was shut down in 2009. The most «difficult stage of work» will be the dismantling of two Soviet high-power channel reactors (RBMK-1500), since no one in the world has ever done this before, said Linas Bauzis, director of the nuclear power plant.
Technical documentation for the dismantling of reactors is being prepared by two companies from the USA and France.
Both companies were hired by the decision of the European Commission, since projects with such uncertainty need to ensure safety.
Preparatory work for the dismantling of the RBMK-1500 has already begun. Workers are removing drum separators. The construction of a storage facility for short-lived low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste has also started. It will be erected by 2029. The cost of the contract for the construction of the storage facility is 128 million euros.
In the near future, it is planned to demolish auxiliary buildings, dismantle technological equipment and active zones of reactors. In 2034, workers will begin dismantling ventilation pipes. Landscaping of the cleared area will be completed by 2050.
What has already been done at the Ignalina NPP
The management of INPP emphasizes that the appearance of the station has not yet changed. However, nuclear scientists dismantled 44% of the equipment. In 2024, the total volume of dismantled and processed radioactive waste reached 8 thousand tons per year. The costs for this amounted to 5 thousand euros per ton.
During 2028-2034, about 678 million euros will be spent on decommissioning INPP. The director of the station, Linas Bauzis, said that the financial donors of the project hope for the effective use of human resources and funds. In their opinion, it would be possible to hire not only Lithuanian, but also foreign contractors. At the same time, cooperation with Rosatom is not being considered.
To speed up the work, it was decided to dismantle both reactors in parallel, using more capacity, and not one after the other.
What Lithuania lost with the decommissioning of the Ignalina NPP
INPP generated electricity from 1983 to 2009. The station was closed at the request of the European Union authorities, which led to an energy shortage in Lithuania.
The decommissioning of the facility has become a heavy burden for the country, the Seimas of Lithuania believes. And it falls on the shoulders of future generations.
The Audit Committee of the Parliament noted that the total costs of closing the INPP, as well as handling and disposing of radioactive waste, will exceed 11 billion euros. For this money, a new nuclear power plant could be built in Lithuania.
About Soviet RBMK-1500
High-power channel reactors were developed at the Kurchatov Institute and NIKIET named after Dollezhal from the mid-60s. The head reactor of the series — RBMK-1000— is located in power units No. 1 and No. 2 of the Leningrad NPP.
The first RBMK-1000 was launched in 1973 in Sosnovy Bor (LAES). A similar type of reactor was installed at the Chernobyl NPP. Soviet engineers abandoned further development of the RBMK project (RBMK-2000, RBMK-3000) after the accident at the station in 1986.
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