Inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, RAW management activities are carried out by the State Specialized Companies (SSC) of the Ministry of Emergency: SSC ‘Chernobyl NPP’, SSC ‘Complex’ and SSC ‘Technocentre’. The locations in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone where radioactive wastes are stored and buried is shown in Fig. 11.2.

RAW management at the ChNPP

SSC ‘Chernobyl NPP’ is carrying out the waste management activities at ChNPP and SO. Collection of ChNPP liquid waste is performed with a pipeline system. Accumulated liquid waste is stored in two tank stores at the ChNPP site. These storage facilities are a system of reservoirs made of corrosion-resistant steel, which are designed to accept 26,000 m3 (liquid RAW storage facility) and 12,000 m3 (liquid and solid RAW storage facility) of waste. This is the low and intermediate level waste: evaporation bottoms, pulp of spent ion exchange resin and pearlite pulp. Spent radioactive oil is also held in temporary storage tanks.

There are two storage facilities for solid waste at ChNPP site. The first storage facility is a surface concrete structure, which is divided into three groups of compartments for storage of LLW, ILW and HLW. The capacity of compartments is 1,087 m3,1,005 m3 and 1,884 m3 respectively. The second storage facility comprises 26 compartments for LLW, ILW and HLW. Its total volume is 10,000 m3. Waste storage facilities are equipped with special protection systems.

Low and intermediate solid waste, generated as a result of work on ter­mination of operation of power units and activities to transform the ‘Shelter’ object into an ecologically safe system, are collected and moved to the RWDP ‘Buriakivka’. At the same time, high level solid waste is collected in the primary steel 200 L containers. Primary containers are inserted into shielding containers weighing about 4,000 kg, made of steel-reinforced con­crete. Shielding containers are placed in a special temporary storage at the ChNPP site.

SSC ChNPP continues construction of facilities for RAW management with international financial support. These are the Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant and Industrial Complex for Solid Radioactive Waste Management (ICSRWM). ICSRWM includes:

• Lot 0 — Interim storage of low and intermediate level long-lived and HLW, which is constructed inside the ChNPP building.

• Lot 1 — Facility for removal of solid waste from their stores.

• Lot 2 — Solid waste processing plant.

• Lot 3 — Near-surface storage facility for solid waste at the site of the ‘Vector’ complex.