Russia's RADON advances pre-disposal work on radioactive waste at multiple sites

The Russian federal state unitary enterprise RADON is advancing multiple pre-disposal work activities for radioactive waste to reduce existing inventories and transfer compliant waste to the national operator FSUE NO RAO for final disposal. The work falls under special measures within the federal targeted program for nuclear and radiation safety (FTP NRS-2). The radioactive waste accumulated at RADON facilities remains under continuous monitoring and control to meet safety requirements.

At the facility of RADON's Northwest Regional Branch in Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast, the retrieval, sorting, and pre-disposal preparation of federally owned radioactive waste has been completed. Between 2014 and 2018, this batch of waste was in safe storage but had not yet met disposal acceptance criteria. Under a government contract, specialists retrieved a total of 730 cubic meters of radioactive waste and completed subsequent process operations such as sorting on site. Currently, this waste is temporarily stored at the branch's Leningrad office location, awaiting disposal in accordance with established procedures.

At the Scientific Production Complex of the branch in Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, RADON is also preparing federally owned radioactive waste in the branch's storage facility for final disposal. The declared total volume of radioactive waste to be processed and conditioned is no less than 430 cubic meters. Containers with waste have been removed from the storage facility and processed and conditioned in accordance with flow diagrams approved by FSUE NO RAO. The relevant packages have been certified and are temporarily stored at the complex, awaiting transfer to the final disposal site.

In addition, with RADON's participation, 800 cubic meters of radioactive waste have been removed from the low-level radioactive waste storage facility at Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant and transported to RADON's Sergiyev Posad Scientific Production Complex for processing and conditioning. The processed waste packages have been certified, and the radionuclide composition has been confirmed through control measurements. They are currently temporarily stored at the branch, awaiting transfer to FSUE NO RAO.

RADON has also completed the reprocessing of a steam generator from Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant. After the equipment was transported from the long-term storage location to the cutting workshop, attachments, vessels, and internal components were dismantled and cut; the radioactive waste generated after fragmentation and sorting was loaded into containers, while uncontaminated metal components were prepared for dismantling. The relevant waste has been processed, certified, and characterized. The final packages were sealed, marked, and labeled, and are temporarily stored awaiting disposal.