Decommissioning process of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant

The decommissioning process of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant has room for improvement: decommissioning works are not always carried out according to schedule, and it is necessary to ensure the necessary financial resources for the installation of a deep geological repository, as is shown by the results of the audit “Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Process” carried out by the National Audit Office of Lithuania.

“Under the Treaty of Accession to the European Union, Lithuania is committed to decommissioning the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant by suspending its operations, dismantling the equipment, managing radioactive waste, and demolishing structures. It is planned to be done by 2038 and the estimated cost is EUR 33 billion. Therefore, it is important to ensure the management of risks arising in the course of projects in a timely manner and to plan financial resources responsibly. According to preliminary estimates, a further EUR 2.5 billion will be needed for the final management of long-lived radioactive waste by installing the deep geological repository”, says Tadas Čiblys, Principal Auditor of Economy Audit Department at the National Audit Office.

As the results of the audit show, the implementation of decommissioning projects is delayed due to the coordination of the documents needed to implement them. Not all targets set for the works of the SE Ignalina Nuclear Plant, as indicated in the annual works programme, are achieved on time.

SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant has a corporate risk management system in place, however, we did not have an opportunity to verify its effectiveness during the audit. The NAOL was unable to determine whether (and how) all the planned risk mitigation measures have been implemented and what impact they have had on managing the occurred risks as not all measures have been documented.

All radioactive waste, including that generated during the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, is placed in appropriate storage facilities and repositories and stored there. At the end of the service life of storage facilities, the long-lived radioactive waste should be transferred to the deep geological repository, which is planned to be installed by 2067. It is important to install it on time as after the end of the storage of long-lived radioactive waste in temporary storage facilities, its transfer to new temporary containers may cost an additional EUR 1.1 billion. Responsible planning and securing necessary resources for the installation of the deep geological repository is needed to ensure that the planned works are implemented in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The implementation of the recommendations of this National Audit Office’s audit will improve the decommissioning projects management process and lead to adequate preparations for the installation of the deep geological repository.