On Friday 3 May, in a report dealing with implementation of decommissioning of nuclear reactors in 2018, the European Commission concluded that Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia had continued to make effective and efficient progress in this area in 2018.
The report indicates that progress made so far guarantees that significant improvements will be made at the sites in question as a result of EU funding in the current multiannual financial framework (MFF).
The Commission is encouraging tangible synergies to be created. For example, decontamination of the primary circuits in the units at Kozlodouy power station (Bulgaria) will be carried out using equipment acquired as part of the dismantling programme for the Bohunice power station in Slovakia.
MFF 2021-2027. Last year, the Commission adopted two proposals for continued EU support for decommissioning work in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia in the MFF 2021-2027.
The proposed co-funding after 2021 will allow Bulgaria and Slovakia in particular to complete the decommissioning of their reactors and will help Lithuania to continue decommissioning the Ignalina nuclear power station, which, as the Commission explains, is a ground-breaking process on an unprecedented scale that involves extracting a large quantity of radioactive graphite.
The main developments expected in this area over the next period of time include the following: - in Bulgaria: steady progress with the construction work on the National Disposal Facility, the management of legacy waste and the start of major dismantling and decontamination work in the reactor building; - in Slovakia: the final dismantling of the reactor cores; - in Lithuania: the steady progress of defueling and the preparations for dismantling the irradiated graphite core, which is a ground-breaking project being undertaken on an unprecedented scale.
When they acceded to the EU, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania committed themselves to shutting down eight nuclear reactors before the end of their scheduled lifetime: - Kozlodouy nuclear power station in Bulgaria (units 1 to 4); - Bohunice V1 nuclear power station in Slovakia (two units); - Ignalina nuclear power station in Lithuania (two units).
For its part, the EU committed to providing financial assistance for safely decommissioning those reactors.
To read the report, go to: https://bit.ly/2VdDxFd. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)