Scheme for Safe Manangement

Large quantities of radioactive substances were present in the territory of Ukraine at the time of the project. Their origins were tailings from uranium mining and milling, waste from operating nuclear power plants, radioactive waste from medical, industrial and research applications, and waste from the Chernobyl accident.
Radioactive waste management practices at the time of the project were considered unsafe. When Ukraine became an independent state, the need arouse to have a national radioactive waste management system (including a system for accounting and up-to-date analytical tools). The National Programme for radioactive waste management was adopted in April, 1996, after the Law of Ukraine on the Use of Nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety (February, 1995) and the Law of Ukraine on Radioactive Waste Management (June, 1995). Both established the legislative basis for the future development of the nuclear power sector.
The general coordination of the implementation of the National Programme is the responsibility of the Ministry for Emergency Situations. The main tasks considered in the Programme are:
- Creation and functioning of a unified system for radioactive waste accounting
- Development and implementation of a special scheme for financing radioactive waste management
- Personnel education and training
The project was divided into two separate parts. The first part of the project aimed at the improvement of Ukraine’s practices in radioactive waste management. It started in August 1995, with a duration of 15 months, and was awarded to a consortium composed of SGN (France) and NIS (Germany).
The second part of the project aimed at providing assistance in selecting a site for an engineered near-surface repository for short-lived radioactive waste and the assistance in selecting one or more sites for a possible deep repository and sitting of a rock laboratory. It started in February 1996, with a duration of 17 months, and was awarded to the Consortium Cassiopee G.E.I.E.
This summary report refers to the first part of the projects.

The main objective of the project was the development and improvement of the National System for Radioactive Waste Management in Ukraine.
Specific objectives were
a) to provide the state authorities and institutions in charge of radioactive waste management in Ukraine with software tools (radioactive waste database in Ukraine and programme for analysing radioactive waste management scenarios) to support the decision making.
b) to provide recommendations for short-term improvements of radioactive waste management at Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plants.

The project was divided in five tasks:
- Task 1. Development of software tools to support the decision-making for state authorities and institutions in charge of radioactive waste management in Ukraine (radioactive waste database and analytical tool).
- Task 2. Analytical tool for selected radioactive waste management scenarios for Ukraine and optimized calculations.
- Task 3. Training of Ukrainian specialists in the use of this software
- Task 4. Analysis of current practices for radioactive waste management at Ukrainian nuclear power plants and preparation of recommendations for short-term improvement
- Task 5. Supply of computer hardware (one server and eight PCs).
The project was completed and the following output was produced:
- Data collection concerning radioactive waste produced in Ukraine originated in nuclear power plants, research centres, hospitals, Chernobyl new shelter, and safe storage of Chernobyl Units 1, 2 and 3. Data collection concerning radioactive waste produced in Western Europe, and comparison analysis. The main effort was concentrated in collecting the data already available and stored in nuclear facilities.
- Software tool for data collection (database) and decision-making aid with regard to radioactive waste management principles.
- Report concerning the assessment of four preselected radioactive waste management scenarios described below, including radiological impact evaluation.
- “Wait and see” all waste, except excess waste, would be conditioned and stored in the existing facilities.
- “Centralized waste treatment centre” waste would be processed, conditioned and disposed of in a centralized facility in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
- “Western Europe” most of the waste is processed at the generators' site and only special waste is delivered for processing to centralised waste processing facility. Processed short lived waste is disposed of in near surface repositories, long live waste is stored and/or disposed of in geological formations.
- “decentralized waste treatment centre” based on creation of complete waste processing and storage facility at each waste generator site
Based on the results of the above evaluation and using tools developed within the project (radioactive waste inventory, decision making software and scenario), analyses were performed to assess investment costs, operational expenses, occupational doses, public doses (both in normal and accidental situations), etc. The results demonstrated that the "Centralized" scenario is the best. However more complex analyses are foreseen in the future.
- Ukrainian experts were trained in the use of the developed software.
- One server and eight PC with backup diskettes were supplied.
- Analysis of short term improvements mostly driven by the expected reduction of radioactive waste production and operational safety increase concerning storageof radioactive waste in Ukrainian nuclear power plants was performed. Short term improvement recommendations were elaborated for Rovno, Khmelnitski and Chernobyl NPPs aimed in reduction of waste generation (volume as well as activity). Improvements in waste management operational safety, waste storage, were also achieved.