Assurance of nuclear and radiation safety (NRS) of facilities of the Company enterprises, prevention and exclusion of any possibility of inadmissible exposure of the personnel, population and environment to radiation are the key priorities of environmental policy of TVEL Fuel Company.
The Company’s subsidiaries maintain methodical work aimed at prevention and exclusion of radiation accidents, improvement of the stability of hazardous production facilities, training of personnel and special formations for accidents and emergencies.
Prevention of radiation accidents requires the constant monitoring of compliance with the rules, regulations, instructions, observance of technological discipline.
General management of the works aimed to ensure NRS at the Company's enterprises is imposed on Technical Directors (Chief Engineers).
The KPI "No events of exposure to effective individual dose exceeding 20 mSv" was set for the heads of the subsidiaries departments dealing with the ionizing radiation sources.
The main program documents providing for realization of activities in the area of NRS are as follows:
- Fundamentals of State Policy in the Sphere of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Russian Federation up to 2025
- Federal Target Program "Nuclear and Radiation Safety Assurance for 2016-2020 and up to 2030".
Lists of nuclear hazardous sections are elaborated for all nuclear-hazardous facilities of the Company, there are conclusions on the nuclear safety issued by the Department of Nuclear Safety of IPPE RF SSC FSUE. All nuclear hazardous sections are equipped with emergency alarm systems in the case of self-sustaining fission chain reaction.
Units of the enterprises for processing, storage, manufacturing with application of nuclear materials and radioactive substances, radioactive wastes treatment have sanitary-epidemiological conclusions on compliance of conditions of work with radiation sources with sanitary rules.
According to the conclusions made by the territorial departments of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of the Russian Federation, the radiation situation at the Company's enterprises, within their sanitary protection areas and control areas (areas of professional responsibility) is estimated as satisfactory.
In 2017, within the framework of supervising the activity of TVEL Fuel Company’s enterprises, the state supervisory authorities (Rostekhnadzor (Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Atomic Supervision), FMBA, EMERCOM, RPN (Federal Service for Environmental Control)) carried out 184 inspections and revealed only one significant recurrent violation.
Federal Target Program "Nuclear and Radiation Safety Assurance for 2016-2020 and up to 2030"
Within the strategic initiative "Environmental Responsibility" of TVEL Fuel Company, the works are ongoing for liquidation of "nuclear heritage", including rehabilitation of contaminated areas.
Since 2016 there is a new Federal Target Program "Nuclear and Radiation Safety Assurance for 2016-2020 and up to 2030"(FTP NRS-2), http://фцп-ярб2030.рф).
FTP NRS-2 includes 17 events of TVEL Fuel Company to the total amount RUB 38.9 billion, including RUB 35.3 billion out of the federal budget. The said arrangements will be performed at facilities of SGChE JSC, AECC JSC, UEIP JSC, NCCP PJSC, MSZ PJSC, VNIINM JSC and EDB-Nizhny Novgorod JSC. Six of them are short-term arrangements that have already been implemented within FTP NRS in 2008-2015; and the rest 11 are new decommissioning projects.
Apart from decommissioning of NRHF and rehabilitation of the contaminated territories of FTP NRS-2, the decision was taken on decommissioning of the sublimation production at AECC JSC, production of uranium tetrafluoride at ChMP JSC and chemical metallurgical plant of SGChE JSC. The above measures shall be implemented partially at the expense of the special reserve fund No. 3 (Decommissioning and R&D) of ROSATOM State Corporation.
One of the key objectives set to the industry is reduction in expenses and production costs to ensure competitiveness on the world market. In this regard, it is planned that by 2030 NRHF will be decommissioned, 470 thousand square meters of territories contaminated with radionuclides territories will be rehabilitated. This will significantly reduce the cost of products manufactured by enterprises of TVEL Fuel Company due to reduction of contaminated areas and subsequent production compaction. Significant means spent annually for safe maintenance of NRHF of TVEL Fuel Company will also be preserved.
Five-year plans:
Decommissioning:
- unit U-5, structure G, building 53, beyond-design disposal No. 9 at VNIINM JSC. Liquidation of the said NRHF will improve the ecological situation in Moscow, clean up the territories;
- FA production for uranium-graphite production reactor, building 18 and warehouses "Models" of NCCP JSC. This will allow to reduce areas for production compaction;
- radiation source at Centrotech-SPb JSC;
- reprocessing facility of HEU-LEU М2079 of SGChE JSC.
To perform:
- conservation of ponds B-1, B-25, ground-based SRW storage facilities at site 16 of SGChE JSC. The arrangements aimed at B-1 and B-25 ponds conservation is of crucial importance, since those are open-type liquid radioactive waste (LRW) storage facilities and are considered to be radiation-hazardous objects with high potential hazard. On completion of the conservation the ponds will be safe;
- Reconstruction of site 13 of the radiochemical plant of SGChE JSC will allow to stop the discharge of liquid radioactive waste into open storage facilities - slurry storages SS-1, SS-2 and proceed with their conservation. Open slurry storages will be excluded from SGChE JSC technological chain.
Plans up to the year 2030:
Completion of decommissioning of:
- the nuclear facility in VNIINM JSC;
- structure 2 (building 802) and structure 4 (building 804), sublimation production of AECC JSC;
- radioactive waste storage facilities of buildings 310 at AECC JSC;
- structure 242 of MSZ PJSC;
- facilities for processing of irradiated standard uranium slugs of site No. 3;
- production of uranium tetrafluoride and depleted uranium at ChMP JSC.
Conservation of:
- pulp dumps PKh-1, PKh-2 at SGChE JSC;
- tailing dumps at NCCP PJSC.
Results 2017:
VNIINM JSC completed decommissioning of building 53 with construction area 360 m2 and variable number of storeys (2/3).
In the territory of industrial site of NCCP PJSC decommissioning to "green lawn" of building 73 with construction area of 12.144 m2 was completed. The works were performed using own funds in the amount of RUB 416.8 mln.
SGChE JSC continues the conservation of B-1 and B-25 ponds. In 2016-2017, nearly RUB 481.9 mln out of the federal budget was spent to carry out these arrangements.
The works on development of infrastructure for radioactive waste treatment were completed on the industrial site at AECC JSC; the works on dismantling and radioactive waste treatment are in progress. In 2016-2017, RUB 1.1 billion out of the federal budget was spent to carry out this work.
Table 70
Subsidiary | Name of enterprise | 2017 (plan) | 2017 (actual) | 2018 (plan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Siberian Group of Chemical Enterprises SGChE JSC) | Reconstruction of facility 13 at Radiochemical Plant | 100.0 | 100.0 | 60.0 |
Conservation of B-1 storage bay | 100.0 | 100.0 | 96.0 | |
Conservation of B-25 pond | 157.7 | 157.7 | 97.3 | |
Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Complex (AECC JSC) | Decommissioning of structure No. 2 (Building 802) and structure No. 4 (Building No. 804) | 752.5 | 360.3 | 769.4 |
Bochvar Institute (VNIINM JSC) | Decommissioning of facility U-5, preparation for decommissioning of areas of radioactive contamination No. 2 and No. 9 and research buildings | 0.0 | 99.3 | 0.0 |
Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP JSC) | Decommissioning of fuel rods for industrial uranium-graphite reactors | 446.1 | 105.6 | 0.0 |
TOTAL at the Company’s sites | 1,556.3 | 922.9* | 1,022.7 | |
* Taking into account the savings following the results of tendering procedures
Table 71
Sources | Number of activities | Scope of financing, RUB mln | List of major activities |
|---|---|---|---|
The Federal Budget within the Federal Target Program "Nuclear and Radiation Safety Assurance for 2016-2020 and up to 2030" (FTP) | 5 | 922.9 |
|
The Special Reserve Fund No. 3 "Decommissioning and R&D" of ROSATOM State Corporation | 24 | 461.15 |
|
Reserve No. 3 "Decommissioning of R&D" remaining at the disposal of the organization | 9 | 33.62 | VNIINM JSC
SGChE JSC:
|
Table 72
Indicator | Unit | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|
Number of INES violations of level 2 and higher | units | 0 | 0 |
Commissioning of spent nuclear fuel repositories | thous. tons | - | - |
Commissioning of spent radioactive waste repositories | thous. m3 | 880 | 3000 |
Preparation for decommissioning of nuclear and radiation-hazard facilities | units | 11 | 11 |
Number of decommissioned nuclear and radiation-hazard facilities | units | 3 | 3 |
Diagram 58
The following documents were obtained in 2017 by TVEL Fuel Company with regard to improvement of the government control and coordination of the works in the sphere of nuclear power safe use (including the issues of transportation of nuclear materials):
- 49 authorising certificates for shipping packaging sets with radioactive materials;
- 10 additions to the authorising certificates;
- Four special requirements to air transportation of the shipping packaging sets;
- Two special conditions for transportation of radioactive materials.
Rehabilitation of the Areas Contaminated by Radionuclides
Lands contaminated with radionuclides are within the area of professional responsibility of MSZ PJSC, NСCP PJSC, ChMP JSC and SGChE JSC.
In 2017, within the scope of remedial actions aimed at improvement of radiation situation in the territory of MSZ PJSC industrial site, the impact of radioactive contaminated areas on groundwater and the environment in the northern part of industrial site was studied, and the territory of building 73 at NСCP PJSC industrial site was rehabilitated (FA production for uranium-graphite production reactor).
Table 73
Indicator | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
Emission of alpha-active RN into the atmosphere, Bq | 9.49*109 | 8.72*109 | 7.36*109 |
Presence of areas contaminated with RN, thous. m2 | 16,081.4,10 | 16,081.4 | 15226.82 |
Discharge of waste water containing RN, Bq | 2.09*109 | 3.22*109 | 3.41*109 |
Table 74
Subsidiary Company | Total | Sanitary protection zone | Area of professional responsibility | Industrial site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
MSZ PJSC | 48.1 | 0 | 0 | 48.1 |
NCCP PJSC | 372.3 | 0 | 210 | 162.3 |
ChMP JSC | 202.5 | 0 | 0 | 202.5 |
SGChE JSC | 14,604.0 | 333 | 0 | 14,271.0 |
Total | 15,226.9 | 333 | 210 | 14,683.9 |
In the reporting year, the emissions of radionuclides into the atmosphere were within the permissible limits.
In the late 2017, the total area of territories contaminated with radionuclides subject to rehabilitation amounted to 15.226.9 thous. m2.
Following the conclusions of regulatory authorities the radiation and nuclear safety in the Company, in general, conforms with the regulations and rules in the field of nuclear power use. TVEL Fuel Company registered no cases of cancellation of any license related to nuclear power application.
The Company implements the concept of defence-in-depth, based on physical barriers to ionizing radiation proliferation at all stages of nuclear facilities life cycle.
During product transportation TVEL JSC ensures compliance with the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials NP-053-16 and IAEA SSR-6 Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials, as well as other international documents on transport.
In 2017, the first batch of RW of UEIP JSC was placed for final isolation at class 3 and 4 subsurface RW repository (CATU Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk region). RW repository, designed and financed by UEIP JSC is currently the only Russian facility able to assure safety and reliable final isolation of low and extremely low-level radioactive waste.
Table 75
Indicator | Unit | high | medium | low | very low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Presence of RW on the sites of TVEL Fuel Company subsidiaries as of the end 2017, total | m3 | 13,056 | 291,383 | 4,256,145 | 5,876,176 |
Bq | 8.50*1016 | 2.00*1018 | 7.22*1014 | 2.13*1014 | |
accumulated before July 15, 2011 ("heritage") * | m3 | 13,000 | 291,261 | 3,865,385 | 5,816,078 |
Bq | 8.50*1016 | 2.00*1018 | 7.02*1014 | 2.08*1014 | |
produced after July 15, 2011, total | m3 | 246 | 48,969 | 780,099 | 33,970 |
Bq | 1.37*1014 | 8.74*1015 | 2.24*1013 | 4.69*1012 | |
produced in the reporting year | m3 | 56 | 47,993 | 369,809 | 6,721 |
Bq | 2.71*1013 | 6.44*1014 | 2.25*1012 | 3.57*1011 |
* Date of entry into force of the Russian Federation Federal Law No. 190-FZ d/d July 11, 2011 "On Radioactive Waste Treatment and Amendments to a Number of Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" that delimits the ownership between the Russian Federation and the companies that produce new radioactive waste.
Most of radioactive wastes located at the sites of TVEL JSC subsidiaries are placed in temporary RW disposal sites (48.6% of the total volume in m3) and long-term RW storage facilities (39.6%). In the reporting year, 47.877.1 m3 of ILW, 369.351.9 m3 of LLW, and 255.0 m3 of VLLW were delivered to specialized organizations.
The scientists of VNIINM JSC presented technologies and facilities for decontamination of radiation hazardous sites:
- method and facility for air-free application of localizing and decontaminating polymer compounds which allows treating large areas and preventing cross contamination;
- foam decontamination of above-ground equipment using special decontaminating agents and foaming systems.
- Specialists of VNIINM JSC developed cold crucible induction melting technology for solidification of radioactive waste generating at radiochemical enterprises and NPPs. Its main advantages are low intensity of materials use, simplicity and low price of cold crucible structure. The crucible is an easily replaceable wear and tear part of the facility. Small size of melter allows remote replacement of life-expired equipment.
- The project of ChMZ JSC "Reprocessing of Substandard Uranium-Containing Materials of Previous Years with Production of Depleted Uranium Oxide Suitable for Enrichment" won the National Award of the Udmurt Republic.
- SGChE JSC completed the preparation of B-25 pond conservation stage (nuclear heritage facility remained after national defence programs completion). The activities being in progress during 2016-2017 were completed 91 days ahead of schedule provided by the contract.
- The employees of SGChE JSC were the first to apply this unique unrivalled technology for conservation of open-type radioactive waste storage facilities of B-1 pond. The application of engineering solution made it possible to complete in time the covering of water area of open-type radioactive waste storage facility. The economic effect of the engineering solution amounted to RUB 15 mln. The radioactive waste stored in B-1 pond was successfully isolated to protect the environment in 2017.