On Site Assistance Chernobyl NPP

At the time when the present contract was developed, the European Union's TACIS programme had supported studies on the decommissioning of the RBMK reactors 1, 2 and 3 at Chernobyl, on short and long term measures for Unit 4, and on radioactive waste present in locations and dumps in the 30 km exclusion zone.
The decommissioning study had recommended selecting the "safe storage" option, with removal of fuel and any liquid and solid waste from the plant, decontamination of equipment, and safe enclosure of the plants for a period of 30 to 100 years. The estimated duration of the procedure to reach "safe storage" was 15 years. During an initial period of 5 years, a number of facilities to treat, condition and store radioactive waste as well as an interim storage for spent fuel had to be built.
The preparatory work prior to decommissioning included studies, preparation of the documents required for the licensing process, preliminary site work, and the construction of the required facilities.

The facilities to be built would be located around the NPP building and any works would be performed under the authority of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Operator (CNPP). Two of the facilities as well as safety upgrades for Unit 3 were to be financed through a grant from the Nuclear Safety Account (NSA) managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), others by the TACIS programme of the European Commission and by Ukraine.
The main objective of the present project was to:

• assist the plant operator in planning the implementation of all facilities needed to prepare the "Safe Storage" of the plant, duly taking into account the requirements deriving from an acceptable overall site waste management,
• prepare the safety files for the European Commission financed facilities and assist the operator and GOSKOMATOM in obtaining the agreement of the safety authorities,
• assist in the evaluation of proposals and start-up of work by selected contractors for the TACIS financed facilities,
• co-operate with the Project Management Unit of the NSA in order to allow compatibility of installations and equipment and to optimize use of resources,
• assist the plant operator and GOSKOMATOM in preparing, on the basis of the already available Decommissioning Plan and Environmental Impact Assessment a complete updated Decommissioning Plan, allowing the operator to submit to the Nuclear Regulatory Administration (NRA) an application for a license.

The contractor selected to implement these tasks was required to establish a permanent team at the site, called "On-site assistance team, OSAT".

The OSAT was given access to the full documentation related to previous studies financed by the TACIS programme. These were the following:

• "Preparation of Decommissioning Operations for the RBMK reactors no. 1, 2 and 3 at Chernobyl".
• "Integrated Waste Management Study"
• "Stabilisation of the existing shelter and the containment of both the existing shelter and the damaged remains of reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant"
• "Management of radioactive waste in dumps in the Chernobyl exclusion area
• "Concept for a melting plant at the Chernobyl Site" (Under a DG XI contract, "Safety procedures and licensing of a melting plant for contaminated metal in the 30 km exclusion zone" had been studied.)

The general task of the OSAT was to assist the ChNPP in:

• preparing the organization and the documents for the work to be done during the pre-decommissioning period, including:
  • preparation of the decommissioning plan
  • support in obtaining the license for decommissioning
• to assist in implementing the TACIS-financed facilities, including:
  • preparing technical specifications for tendering of turn-key contracts
  • evaluation of tenders
  • supervision of the design and construction of the facilities
• to provide quality assurance
• to provide for accounting and reporting.

Following some evolution of the scope of work during the inception period and during the contract implementation, the contract was divided into 4 tasks:

1. Task 1: Assistance to preparation of the construction of decommissioning facilities at the ChNPP site
2. Task 2: Implementation of TACIS financed facilities (Industrial Complex for Solid Radwaste Management, ICSRM)
3. Task 3: Assistance to preparation of a Decommissioning Plan (Chernobyl Decommissioning Plan, CDP) including a Comprehensive Engineering and Radiation Survey (CERS) and Actions to support the ChNPP Reactor Units' Operational Cessation Programme (OCP)
4. Task 4: Assistance in design of Treatment Facility Complex (TFC) of the Centre for Treatment and Disposal (CTD)

The project was implemented through two separate contracts (24790 and 24791, also known as NUCUK 9403 A and B) signed on 28 July 1997. The project ended on 28 August 2000.
The project was contracted to a Consortium of the companies SGN (France, leader of the consortium), AEA Technology (Great Britain) and EWN (Germany). Both companies SGN and AEA Technology had experience in the implementation of TACIS nuclear safety projects in Ukraine, especially in the areas of the decommissioning and radioactive waste management.
All tender documentation for the tendering of the ICSRM was completed, but the evaluation of tenders was performed in the framework of a follow-on contract (see 26400).
The schedule of documents delivered by the Consultant during the course of the contract is given in the attached document ("Schedule of documents"). This is an extract from the 16th Progress Report of the contract issued near the end of the project.