RW volume will considerably grow during the NPP decommissioning, which will bring dramatic changes in the total RW situation.
That is why the establishment of unified efficient system of RW management is a key task within the decommissioning program.

Solid radioactive waste (SRW) during NPP decommissioning

SRW produced at NPP decommissioning can be grouped into three large categories of different activity levels and having a number of specific properties:

• metallic waste;
• construction waste;
• waste arising at dismantling, resulting from the destruction of protective barriers.

SRW of decommissioned VVER-440

The radioactivity of decommissioned VVER-440 structures is ~ 2,5 mln. Ci, including the radioactivity of in-vessel instrumentation - 1,2 mln. Ci. The mass of reactor structures and in-vessel instrumentation is ~ 300 t. Metallic waste formed by dismantled pipelines, fittings, etc, belongs to the medium- and low-level waste group. Its activity results mostly from corrosion products, and it ranges from 1×10-8 to 1×10-4 Ci/kg.
All in all, during the decommissioning of VVER-440 power unit ~ 14 th. t of metallic RW and ~ 10 th. t of contaminated concrete and building structures is produced. In addition to that RW listed in the table, reactor structures and in-vessel instrumentation metallic waste includes:

• equipment of RW processing units;
• RW kept in the plant site storages;
• Structures of RW storages and other auxiliary equipment.

SRW at RBMK-1000 decommissioning

The situation with SRW produced at the decommissioning of RBMK-1000 power unit is more complex, because the amount of waste arising during its dismantling is still larger. It is about 100 th. t of concrete and 10 th. t of steel with a total radioactivity of 2.8 mln. Ci (105 TBq). Beside metallic SRW and demolished structures, it is also necessary to manage 1700 t of radioactive graphite, the reprocessing technology of which is still unavailable.

LRW at NPP decommissioning

LRW produced at decommissioning Russian NPPs include:

• equipment and rooms decontamination and washing liquids - 25 th. m3;
• water from emptied reactor systems - 1000 m3;
• water from the sanitary checkpoints, bathrooms, laundry rooms - 30 th. m3;
• pulps of pearlite, ion-exchange resins, bottom sludge - 200 m3;
• vat residues, condensate from the LRW evaporation units - 20 th. m3.

This waste belongs to the low-level category. The specific activity of the most is from 1×10-6 to 1×10-4 Ci/l, and the total volume of the whole inventory of such waste is up to 100 th. m3