The government has adopted a strategy for radioactive waste management of the Belarusian NPP under construction in Astravets. As noted in the Strategy, in connection with the nuclear power plant operation, the problem of various types and categories of radioactive waste (RW), presenting a potential danger to humans and the environment, is becoming particularly urgent.
The Belarusian NPP project provides for an active system of radioactive waste management and storage near the station for ten years, followed by moving them to the point of radioactive waste disposal. But its construction is not provided by the project.
Responsibility for ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the radioactive waste management system rests with the state and organization operating it.
Waste management system includes the collection, sorting, cleaning, processing, conditioning, transportation and storage of radioactive waste generated during operation of a nuclear power plant.
According to the document, during the operation of a nuclear power plant (60 years) there will be produced 9,360 cubic meters of solid waste of various categories and 60 cubic meters of highly active waste.
According to preliminary estimates, the projected amount of low and medium active solid radioactive waste resulting from decommissioning is 2,050 cubic meters per unit of nuclear power plant, highly active radioactive solid waste – 85 cubic meters.
“Given the expected volumes of radioactive waste, there is an objective need to create the site for disposal of radioactive waste,” states the Strategy. It can cost the budget tens of millions of dollars. For example, the cost of building the repository of radioactive waste from the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania amounted to about 60 mln. US dollars.
BelaPAN, belsat.eu/en/
