[cdn-nucl-l] Lithuania signs contract for closure of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant

["Radik Ixanov" <ixanov@sympatico.ca>]

Those are former Soviet Union designed water-cooled graphite-moderated and
on-power refuelling channel-type reactors, with 1500 MWte.
Design parameters are here (http://www.iae.lt/inpp_en.asp?lang=1&subsub=29).
____________________________________________________________________________
____


"Interfax" agency informed
(http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Lith&pg=0&id=5645414&req=)


Vilnius. (Interfax) - Lithuania has signed a contract with the winner of an
international tender for the development of a technological process to
produce and install equipment to use up nuclear fuel after the halting of
the first power-producing unit at Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, the plant's
General Director Victor Shevaldin told Interfax on Thursday.

He said that Lithuania has promised to shut down the first power- producing
unit by the end of 2004. After the closure of the plant, 1,300 fuel
assemblies will remain in the reactor, suitable for use in the second
power-producing unit. A specialty of RBMK reactors, including those at
Ignalina, is that after they are stopped about 80% of fuel may be removed
and used up in other reactors.

Calculations have been carried out that indicate that the use of fuel from
the first unit in the second unit will make it possible to save over 500
fresh fuel assemblies, costing over 100 million litai (about $35 million)
and also reduce the amount of spent fuel to be sent from the first unit into
storage.

An international tender was declared at the end of 2002 to implement this
project, which was won by an international consortium containing the
Lithuanian Energy Institute, the All-Russia Complex Energy Technology Design
and Scientific Research Institute and the Lithuanian energy company ZAO
Energetikos Tiekimo Baze.

The general director said that Ignalina is financing this from its own funds
but did not say how much the project is costing, noting only that it is a
"pretty large project."

Under the contract, the project should be developed and installed within
three years. Shevaldin forecast that the transportation of nuclear fuel from
the halted first unit to the second unit would begin in about mid-2006.

Lithuania has promised to close the first power-producing unit at Ignalina
Nuclear Power Plant by 2005 and to shut the plant down by 2009, on condition
that there is sufficient financing for the project. Meanwhile, the
construction of another nuclear plant is actively being discussed in
Lithuania and abroad.

Electricity production at Ignalina in 2002 amounted to 14.143 billion kWh,
which is 24.5% more than in 2001. In January-May 2003 the plant produced 6.9
billion kWh of electricity, up 22.6% year-on-year. The plant plans to
produce 14.4 billion kWh in 2003.

Ignalina produced over 75% of all Lithuania's electricity.