International Projects / Exploitation of the Know-How
Murmansk - Decommissioning of the Nuclear Submarines
- Laying the foundation stone for the long-term store on April 10, 2004
- Nuclear submarine ? cut in the Nerpa shipyard
- First transport of reactor sections into the long-term store, July 8 and 9, 2006
The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology charged the EWN GmbH with the project management in 2003.
In Russia, a large number of older nuclear submarines have already been exempted from service. After fuel removal, bow and stern parts of the reactors were cut so that the reactor section with mostly one other section at each side remained as hovering body. These floatable units were moored to swimming pontoons in the Saida Bay near Murmansk. Due to the rough climate, tide, icing etc., these units require steady maintenance and cause continuous costs, and perhaps they could sink.
Therefore, a project for safe storage of the units ashore was initiated.
A long-term storage area for submarine reactor sections is being established on a promontory in the Saida Bay. It could be partly put into operation on July 18, 2006.
The non-floatable units (weight to 1.600 tons) are being made of the above mentioned floatable units or of incomplete submarines in the Nerpa shipyard; afterwards they are temporarily stored on the shipyard's area. Later the reactor sections are transported to the long-term store by the shipyards floating dock.
The first transport was in July 2006.
Every work on-site is being executed by Russian companies according to the Russian law.
Experts of the EWN GmbH check from time to time whether all works defined in the contract are carried out properly.
Detailed information and pictures you can find here:
www.bmwi.bund.de
The person in charge for dismantling the nuclear submarines in the EWN GmbH:
Project group PU
Mr Detlef Mietann
E-mail: detlef.mietann(at)ewn-gmbh.de
Phone: + 49 38354 4-5930
- Reaktor section on the storage yard of the "Nerpa" shipyard on a track based transport system delivered by a German company
- First part of the long-term store put into operation in July 2006
- The long-term store in June 2007
The Chernobyl NPP, Ukraine
With the final shut down of the last operating unit 3, the decommissioning of the Chernobyl Plant was started according to an agreement with the EU.
Together with the associated partners SGN (France) and AEA-T (UK) the EWN GmbH supported the decommissioning planning for the units 1 to 3 already in 1997. This procedure was carried out within the scope of the "Tacis On-Site Assistance Project ? OSAT".
In 2001 this consortium could take over the project management for constructing and commissioning an industrial complex for the extraction, treatment and final storage of solid radioactive waste (ICSRM). In the end of 2005 the EWN GmbH finished its on-site participation.
The Ignalina NPP, Lithuania
2002-2003
The Lithuanian government, having asked for bilateral consulting in preparing the decommissioning, received financial support from the German government. In the frame of the German Environment Ministry project "Method transfer for the preparation of NPP decommissioning to leading personnel of the Ignalina NPP and representatives of Lithuanian authorities", suitable training material based on the know-how collected by EWN was developed in 2002 and 2003. Afterwards several courses and workshops with participants from Lithuania were carried out in Lubmin.
The project comprised the following topics:
- Project management
- Licensing procedures
- Project planning
- Waste management
- Social aspects during further site development
2007-2008
A "Decommissioning Management System and Database" (DMSD) for decommissioning the Ignalina NPP has been delivered in the frame of a project financed by the EU. Now Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant has a powerful tool for an effective management of decommissioning and dismantling processes. The DMSD covers the management of the overall decommissioning process including processes like inventarisation the plant, dismantling and decontamination planning, waste management, human resources planning, calculation of decommissioning costs, administration of contracts and documentation, reports and PR.
The EWN GmbH was in charge of the project management. Two Lithuanian companies (UAB Sintagma and Ernst&Young Baltic UAB) and another German company (CORE2 Consult GmbH Greifswald) were involved in the project. The work of the EWN engineers contained besides the management of the project team the professional support of the system development as well as the practice-oriented user training.
EWN as Consortium leader contributed unique knowledge of practical decommissioning planning, calculation and control and know-how on decommissioning IT solutions currently used to support the decommissioning management tasks at EWN and other power plants.
The project was completed successfully in September 2008. The team could provide all services according to the project schedule of 14 months.
The Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria
In the frame of two PHARE projects, EWN in cooperation with Belgatom as the main contractor and ENPRO (Bulgaria) were involved in the conceptual and detailed planning of decommissioning the units 1 and 2 (WWER 440) at the Kozloduy NPP.
After the completion of these tasks at the end of 2001, EWN was granted a follow-up contract for setting up a decommissioning management system (manual and software). The project was financed by the IAEA and the Bulgarian decommissioning funds. As a subcontractor CORE 2 Consult GmbH (Greifswald) was responsible for the software development and ENPRO Consult (Sofia) for the on-site project coordination. The project covered the years 2002 and 2003.
In June 2005 a contract between the Kozloduy NPP and the EWN GmbH about the radiological characterization of the units 1 and 2 was signed. The engineer company ENPRO Consult was bound as subcontractor. The project was financed by the national Bulgarian decommissioning funds. At request of the client it had been extended and prolonged and could be successfully completed in October 2008.
The Rovno NPP, Ukraine
In the frame of the EU financed aid programmes (OSA) for NPP in Eastern Europe, the EWN GmbH is involved in the Rovno aid programme in a consortium together with Amec NCC and the CA&R Engineering GmbH under the management of RWE Power International.
This project started in July 2007 and will cover the next three years. The EWN GmbH is responsible for the following three of nine project parts:
- optimization of the disposal concept for the Rovno NPP
- supporting the development and review of the decommissioning concept for the units 1 and 2
- technical support by engineers during the specification, tender, delivery, installation and the receipt of the operating license for a waste treatment complex (PIP)
The Bohunice NPP, Slovak Republic
In the course of joining the EU, the Slovak government committed to decommission the Bohunice NPP V1 in 1999. The final shut down of both units (type WWER 440/230) was defined for the years 2006 (unit 1) and 2008 (unit 2). The beginning of the practical dismantling is planned for 2012.
The preparation of the practical decommissioning has been supported and partly financed by an international decommissioning fund (BIDSF), under the administration of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Some of the projects, partly financed by the BIDSF, are investment projects, for example investing in treatment facilities for radioactive material or in interim and final storage capacities; besides, there are projects for the preparation of licensing documents for the decommissioning as well as other ones supporting the adaptation of the NPP V1 to the dismantling.
Leading the consortium, the EWN has successfully completed the following two projects, together with a Slovak partner:
- Project B 6.1 ? Conceptional planning of the decommissioning (May 2005 until June 2006)
- Project B 6.2 ? Environmental impact study for the decommissioning (January 2006 until June 2007)
In the frame of the project B 6.1 four different dismantling strategies (with and without safe enclosure) were analysed. The aim of the project was to investigate different technical, financial and social aspects of each strategy and to demonstrate how they would be practicable with reference to technology and safety and to recommend finally the most suitable strategy for the site of Bohunice.
In connection with the project B 6.2 the effects of the strategies from project B 6.1 were analysed; with the conclusion that generally all considered strategies are ecologically compatible.
Based on the results of the above mentioned projects, the Slovak authority in charge has decided to dismantle the NPP V1 immediately.
Since May 2008, the EWN as manager of the consortium and two Slovak partners are carrying out another project together:
- project B 6.4 ? Decommissioning data base (May 2008 until April 2010).
The aim of this project is the physical and radiological characterization of the NPP V1. The collected inventory data will be used then for the detailed planning of the dismantling.
The Novovoronezh NPP, Russia
The EuropeAid Cooperation Office of the European Commission has awarded a Tacis contract for ?Preparation of decommissioning processes for NPP units regarding scientific, technical and economical issues? to a consortium composed of Electricité de France (EDF) and Energiewerke Nord GmbH (EWN). The project started in June 2006 and could be finished in July 2008.
This two years contract aimed at a comprehensive know-how transfer from these companies to the Russian nuclear operator Rosenergoatom (beneficiary of the contract) in the field of decommissioning nuclear power plants. The reference plant chosen as practical case was Novovoronezh with its units 1 and 2.
The Western consortium subcontracted the Russian institute VNIIAES, which has already been acting as the supervisor of NPP units' decommissioning in the Russian Federation. This subcontract allowed VNIIAES experts to gain an adequate access to the consortiums engineering resources; thus multiplying experience, know-how, and technical support for the beneficiary.
The EWN was responsible for the following three of six project parts:
- Determination of costs for the decommissioning
- Review of basic decommissioning documents (conception, safety report, environmental impact study)
- Quality assurance plan during the decommissioning
The project was finished this year in July and counts as one of the most successful Tacis projects ever performed in Russia.
For further information: vniiaes.intitle.ru/en/Project_work_program.htm
The Zaporoshye NPP, Ukraine
In the frame of the EU financed aid programmes (OSA) for NPPs in Eastern Europe EWN as a subcontractor with RWE Power International is involved in the Zaporoshye aid programme. The EWN GmbH is responsible for the optimization of the waste management concept of the Zaporoshye NPP. This project started in December 2007 and will cover a time of three years.
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