Spent Fuel Storage Facility (SFWS-1) at Chernobyl NPP can operate for at least 10 more years, says state inspectorate
The Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility (SFWS-1) at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant can be safely operated for at least another ten years, according to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.
On December 11, the board of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate confirmed that the safe operation of SFWS-1 is justified until the next periodic safety review on December 31, 2034, provided that safety enhancement measures are implemented.
SFWS-1 is a temporary “wet” storage facility that was put into operation immediately after the Chernobyl NPP accident in 1986. During the plant’s operation from 1971 to 2000, more than 21,000 spent fuel assemblies accumulated on-site, stored in the cooling pool.
Recently, due to a power outage in Slavutych caused by Russian shelling, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was left without electricity, including the plant’s new sarcophagus.
Energy workers have fully restored electricity to all facilities at the Chernobyl NPP, which had been de-energized as a result of the Russian attacks on the city of Slavutych.
