1) Background
The radioactive waste management strategy and the applied waste management procedures at the NPPs with WWER reactors are based on the accumulation of all kinds of waste during the entire operational period with subsequent processing of the waste during the first stage of the decommissioning. Only pre-treatment and/or treatment procedures are applied, providing for partial reduction of stored waste volume. Such approach is in contradiction with the internationally accepted approach and this represents a non-acceptable risk of activity spreading into the environment. The waste management strategy, applied at the Ukrainian NPPs, has been partially revised during the last decade, however a still deferred decision on the final waste disposal option represents a principal constraint in the selection and the implementation of an efficient waste conditioning technologies. Therefore an interest was focused to waste treatment technologies, preceding the waste conditioning, as for example, volume reduction processes, reusing and recycling of the waste materials, and other technologies facilitating better utilization of the existing waste storage capacities.

In the aim to support this trend and recognising the significance of this problem, the EC decided to initiate the project aimed at back fitting the existing radioactive waste water treatment at the Rovno NPP by:

• Enabling the trouble free operation of the waste water treatment system;
• Removing the slurry from the waste water before further processing;
• Reusing the separated and eventually purified waste water, and
• Transforming the slurry into a suitable state for storage and further handling.
This project was initiated under the Tacis contract N. 96-9312.00 and later reformulated as U4.01/94.
2) Objectives
The overall objective of this project was to contribute to a safe and sound management of radioactive waste in Ukraine, in particular at the Rovno NPP.
The specific objective of this project was to provide (supply) a proven system for the treatment of the backlog of radioactive waste water at the Rovno NPP, in particular to arrange for a centrifugal separation of water from the sludge in the waste water storage tanks.
3) Project Results – Achievements (With reference to the TORs)
This project included the design, manufacturing, factory tests and delivery of a centrifugal module and drum handling equipment, relevant spare parts, documentation as well as a provision for the installation, the safety analysis and licensing support, the acceptance and commissioning tests, the equipment certification and the training. This part of the project was implemented by Framatome ANP GmbH.
EdF provided on-site assistance for this project, in particular:

• Assistance in the preparation of the Tender dossier;
• Assistance in the finalization of the supplier's contact;
• Assistance in the implementation of the supply contract, and
• Assistance during the commissioning, the functional tests and the acceptance of the facility.
This project covered the supply of the following items of the waste water treatment system:
• Centrifuge (decanter);
• Decanter feed pump;
• Macerator for the separated slurry;
• Drum filling station;
• I&C system, and
• Other supporting material and tools.
The main benefit of this project was that the new system provided for the separation and reuse of excess waste water from the slurry and for transformation of the slurry into a suitable form for storage and further handling. In this way, the operation of the system contributes to the reduction of the "as generated" waste volume, prevents waste accumulation and facilitates the treatment of slurry into a final form acceptable for further safe management in accordance with the international recommendations.
4) Comments (Quality of the results, Lesson learnt, Recommendations for follow-up)
The final report describes the principal achievements and the results of the contractor, the contract implementation schedule and steps as well as all other information necessary to understand the entire project. Even more important than written report was the impact of the delivered technology to the radioactive waste management improvement at the Rovno NPP.
The project fully met the objectives stated in the relevant section of the ToR.
Further Information
Further information on the project results can be found in the Final report (available in the JRC Petten archive) and sought from the beneficiary organizations.
The Project Final report is available at the JRC-IE archive.