Chernobyl nuclear power plant is to become a testing ground for South Korean experimental technologies after the Head of the State Agency of Ukraine for the Management of the Exclusion Zone (GAZO) Serhiy Kalashnik and the President of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) signed a memorandum of technical cooperation in the field of scientific research.
Kalashnik said his Agency supports international cooperation with partner organisations, “since by combining the world's leading technologies and practices, we will be able to more effectively implement the tasks that we face”.
In particular, he added, “this is the decommissioning of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the transformation of the Shelter into an environmentally friendly system”.
According to Acting Director General of the Chernobyl NPP, Vladimir Peskov, this cooperation is an opportunity to test technologies that, in the future, can be used to assist with decontamination of radioactively contaminated materials that were formed during the decommissioning of the Chernobyl NPP.
In July, the Chernobyl NPP took part in a joint online meeting dedicated to the project to create an experimental installation for testing the technology for handling radioactive concrete and the technology of foam metal decontamination. The next steps will involve the development of a programme for the safe performance of work, taking into account all the necessary rules, regulations and safety requirements, as well as the drawing up of technical contracts. The phist phase of testing is expected to begin at the end of 2020.
Five years ago, Korea made a decision to phase out its nuclear power plants and to develop a programme for the preparation of decommissioning technologies. Chernobyl NPP agreed to allow use the unique features of the industrial site to test the technology in real conditions.
Photo: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is preparing to test new decommissioning technologies at Chernobyl (Credit: CNPP)
