On November 2, 2023, at the meeting of the Board of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, a decision was made on the possibility of extending the long-term safe operation of South Ukraine NPP power unit 1 for another 10 years – until December 2033. The appropriate amendments to the license will soon be made by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU).
This was announced by President of SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» Petro Kotin, commenting on the outcomes of the meeting of the Board of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, which discussed the status of works to substantiate the possibility of further long-term operation of power unit 1.
«We have received confirmation of the possibility of further safe operation of this power unit for another 10 years, during which nuclear and radiation safety, protection of personnel, the general public and the environment are guaranteed. The uniqueness of this event is that, for the first time in Ukraine, all the necessary procedures and examinations to obtain the appropriate conclusion were carried out under Western standards and without a longtime shutdown of the power unit,» Petro Kotin stressed.
He reminded that earlier, in order to conduct all examinations and follow the procedures for deciding on the possibility of further operation of the power unit of any of the domestic nuclear power plants, the power unit had to be shut down for a long period – from 200 to 250 days.
«This time, we went through all the necessary procedures to extend the life of SUNPP power unit 1 while maintaining generation and providing electricity to our citizens. The implementation of such global practice by Energoatom specialists and SNRIU experts significantly increased the efficiency and quality of our work,» the Company's President said.
SUNPP power unit 1, with a capacity of 1,000 MW, was put into operation in 1983. Having operated for 40 years, the lifetime was extended for another 10 years, which will make a total of 50 years of safe electricity generation!
For reference:
Under the norms of the current legislation, Energoatom must periodically, every 10 years after a nuclear power unit commissioning, reassess its safety, while the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspection of Ukraine, in case of confirmation of the safety of operation of the unit, must make appropriate amendments to the license. On November 11, 2022, SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" applied for SNRIU to make amendments to the license to carry out activities at the life cycle stage "operation of the nuclear installation of SS "South Ukraine NPP" power unit 1"
On November 2, 2023, during the meeting of the Board, the regulator approved the conclusion of the state examination of nuclear and radiation safety regarding the Periodic Safety Reassessment Report and, having analyzed the service life of the reactor vessel, safety-related structures, systems, and elements, recognized the reasonable possibility of safe operation of South Ukraine NPP power unit 1 at the design capacity levels until December 2, 2033. Thus, appropriate amendments will be made to the operating license of this power unit, granted to SE "NNEGC "Energoatom".
