Seminar at Kyoto University Research
Reactor Institute, Kumatori, 16 March 2011

Punishing legacy of atomic
bomb and nuclear energy
projects in Ukraine
Volodymyr Tykhyy, Ukraine

Overview of the presentation
 Map of Ukraine and timeline Prydniprovsky chemical plant (1947) - extraction of uranium Uranium ore mining (from 1948) and leaching (from 1961)
 Zhovti Vody (Yellow waters) Hydrometallurgical plant (1951)
 Peaceful underground nuclear blasts 1972, 1979
 Chernobyl 1986
Nuclear waste around ChNPP – clean up, processing, dumps
Agreements between Ukraine and donors – CSF, CIP, NSA
Interim fuel storage 2 (IFS-2)
New safe confinement (NSC)
Money for NSC and it’s costCentral storage for VVER nuclear fuelTykhyy - KURRI 18 March 20112

Nuclear industry sites in Ukraine

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Abandoned Crimean NPP

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Abandoned Crimean NPP (1998)

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USSR A-bomb projectand nuclear arms race Key facilities for production of nuclear bombs andnuclear reactors located in Russian Federation
 Ukrainian SSR was the most important supplier ofuranium (mined and processed) for Soviet A-bombs
 Processing of uranium ore started in 1947 at
Prydniprovsky plant # 906 near the city of
Dniprodzerzhynsk, Dnipropetrovsk province Large-scale mining of uranium ore in Ukraine started at
Zheltorechensky deposit in Dnipropetrovs province. It
goes on to these days in this and other areas nearby
 Hydrometallurgical plant was set up in Zhovti Vody in
1951; it is still in operation and supplies uranium forproduction of uranium (enrichment of uranium and fuelproduction are carried out in Russia)
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Prydniprovsky chemical plant (1) 1947 – production of uranium from metallurgical slag. Main
production was carried on at blast furnace # 6
 Next year a specialized Plant # 906, known by it's non-secretname as a “Slag Fertilizers Plant“ was created.
 More than 16,000 people worked on its construction in 1940s;
many of them were inmates of concentration camps whichwere relocated to the area from the Urals; many were later
employed by the plant.
 At the peak of the "cold war", Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant(PCP) # 906 processed over 60 % of uranium ore mined in theSoviet Union In 1990s the plant was divided into several separate plants(production of ion-exchange resins, nonferrous metals,
zirconium, hydrometallurgical plant etc) and bankrupted in
2002.
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Prydniprovsky chemical plant (2) A state enterprise "Baryer" was created in December
2000 to manage the PCP's radioactive tailings ofuranium production (over 42 mln ton with estimatedaverage activity 6,4 kBq/kg).
 Storage “C” – 0.2 mln ton, average activity 2.2 MBq/kg
 One of the storages contains parts of the dismantled
blast furnace # 6.
 Major environmental threats: pollution of ground water;
run-off of contaminated water into Dnieper Enterprise "Baryer" implements the State Program of
26.11.03 (amended 30.09.09): monitoring, strengthening
dams and dikes, recultivation, dismantling dilapidated
buildings etc.
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Prydniprovsky chemical plant –one of tailings

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Uranium ore mining and leaching Uranium mining company "Plant # 9" in the city of Zhovti
Vody, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, was created in July 1951.
Hydrometallurgical facility created in 1955-1958. First
kilogram of U3O8 (yellowcake) produced in 1959.
 New uranium deposits were discovered the area in 1950s(Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovograd, Mykolaiv provinces).
 Production at Devladivske and Bratske deposits wasorganized in 19961 with the technique of bore-holesulphuric-acid underground leaching (other chemicals wereused too) Environmental problems in areas of uranium mining: tailingsof liquid wastes; groundwater pollution; soil and air pollution
 Many villages in Sofiivsky rayon (Devlatovo deposit) cannot
use ground water and suffer from severe water shortage
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Underground nuclear blasts Published data list 124 peaceful underground blasts in
USSR (including 140 kt nuclear blast of 1965, which
created an artificial lake Chagan in Kazakstan) In Ukraine, in 1972 a 3.5 kt underground nuclear blast
was used to extinguish a fire on a gas production well in
Kharkivska province (unsuccessful attempt - firecontinued for over a year after the blast).
 In 1979, a 0.2-0.3 kt nuclear blast was detonated at"Yunyi kommunar" coal mine at 800 m below the surface
to reduce the concentration of methane gas in the mine.
Glassified capsule of about 100 m3 still exists at the siteof the explosion.
 Apparently only minor environmental pollution occurred,
but public agitation was high in recent years when
information about these blasts became available
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Chernobyl catastrophe of 1986
 Last operating reactor # 3 shut down 15 December 2000.
 Chernobyl NPP became a “State specialized enterprise"Chernobylska NPP" (SSE ChNPP)” with the main task ofdecommissioning the NPP. License for decommissioning
works was issued by SNRCU to SSE ChNPP in March, 2002.
 30-km exclusion zone is managed by the State Department(Administration of the Zone) of the Ministry of Emergencies
 Radioactive waste storages: several closed; one operational– “Buriakivka”. Most problematic – “Pidlisny” (closed in 1988,
over 22,000 ton in concrete storages). Territory is prone toflooding, still no design and funding for reconstruction
 Over 800 “simple” radioactive wastes dumps of 1986-1987(trenches, clamps): “Sand plato”, “Oil depot”, “Red forest” etc.
 Processing of radioactive wastes: complex “Vector”, facilities
for liquid and solid RAW built with international assistance
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30-km zone: “Pidlisny” and cooling pond

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“Rossoha” – early 90s

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“Rossoha” – early 2000s

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“Red forest”, pine of late 2000s

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Decommissioning of Chernobyl NPP:
Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) and SIP
 Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) and Shelter Implementation
Plan (SIP) were developed in 1997 (G-7, EU, other countries;
EBRD). CSF is managed by EBRD.
 Pledging conferences in 1997 (New York), 2000 (Berlin) and2005 (London).
 Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP): to convert thesarcophagus into a stable and environmentally safe
system (including safety of work during construction of NSC).
 By 2008, most of SIP objectives were achieved.
 However, remaining are:
Interim Storage Facility 2 (ISF-2) funded from Nuclear
Safety Account at EBRD andNew Safe Confinement (NSC), funded through ChernobylShelter Fund.
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CSF major contributors(over $20m, data of 2007)
Canada34.9 m USD
European Community
204.8 m USD
France41.8 m USD
Germany
60.5 m USD
Italy33.0 m USD
Japan41.7 m USD
Ukraine
45.0 m USD
United Kingdom
47.6 m USD
United States
138.8 m USD
Contributions by end-June 2007 - 739 m EURO
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A story of Interim Storage Facility (ISF-2)
 EBRD Nuclear Safety Account projects: construction of afacilities to treat liquid and solid radioactive waste(completed) and ISF -2 for spent fuel from units 1, 2 and 3
 Construction of ISF-2 was started in 2003 by Framatome(acquired by Areva NP in 2005).
 Could not meet the requirements, contract canceled New ISF-2 contract signed with Holtec Int. in 2007, for 200m EURO.
 Design for completion of IFS-2 approved by SNRCU on 20October 2010; end of construction (agreed in February,2011) – March 2015
 Implementation depends on funding. Deficit as of endDecember 2010 - 130-140 m EURO
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IFS-2 (Framatome’s)New Safe Confinement (NSC) data

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New Safe Confinement (NSC) timeline
 2001 – decision in principle on the design of NSC
 2004 – approval of NSC concept design
 August 2007 – Ukraine and EBRD sign grant
agreement for NSC
 2007 – Contract between Ukraine and French
consortium Novarka signed
 2006-2008 – Shelter stabilization works completed,safety infrastructure for NSC works in place Beginning of 2011: Site preparation for NSC inprogress. Novarka placed orders for the 20.000 tonof steel and placed a subcontract for theconstruction of heavyweight cranes.
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New Safe Confinement (NSC): money
 Initial estimated cost of NSC (1997) - $505 m
 28 September 2010 – CSF Assembly of Donors:
estimated cost of NSC - EURO 870 m (due tohigher safety requirements – official explanation)
 Deficit of funding for NSC – EURO 550 m
 December 2010 – Ukraine’s contribution into CSF
increased to $104 m; Ukraine becomes fullparticipant of the NSC project Next meeting of donors scheduled for April 2011
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New Safe Confinement - trenches

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Central Storage Facility for VVER fuel
 Current situation: 7 VVER-1000 – “Mining and ChemicalCombine”, Krasnoyarskiy kray; 2 VVER 440 – “Mayak”
Cheliabinskaya obl., 6 VVER-1000 – on site (Zaporizhya) NAEC “Energoatom” initiated construction of CentralStorage Facility for spent nuclear fuel of Ukrainian VVER
reactors in the 30-km exclusion zone. Initial Statement ofIntent issued in October, 2006
 Technological solutions – Holtec International.
Capacity– 1000 spent fuel assemblies per year; 50 years loading,50 years storage New Statement of Intent issued in 2008; public hearing on
environmental consequences – 22 March 2008, Slavutich Parliament decision needed to construct CSF; in themeantime, Ukrainian spent nuclear fuel from 9 VVER units isshipped to Russia
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Proposed location for CSF

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Zaporizhya NPP spent nuclear fuel storage

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Health problems in brief

Children thyroid cancer (TC).
 During 1986-2008, 5427 persons born in 1968-1986 had TCsurgery, of them 73.6% were children.
 In 2008, 442 persons (who were children 0-14 at the time ofChernobyl) had TC surgery, and 119 who were adolescent (15-18).
Average for 2008 is more than 21 higher than before Chernobyl.
TC in whole population
 2.5 higher in 6 most contaminated regions of Ukraine compared toother 21.
 In all groups of sufferers TC prevalence is higher than nationwide
average: in liquidators - 5.6 times, in evacuated - 4.4 times, in those
who live on contaminated territories - 1.4 times
Disabled (invalidy) In 1986-2008 - 264 100 patients applied to establish causal relation
with Chernobyl. Of this, 174 306 patients received status.
 In 2009, 8931 patients applied, causal relation established in 84% ofcases. Main causes – oncologic, cerebrovascular, blood circulationand nervous system diseases.
Reproductive health becomes a serious problem
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