Company JAVYS, a.s., continues with decommissioning of the shutdown V1 nuclear power plant (V1 NPP) already in the primary circuit as it transported the first steam generator (SG) weighing 145 tonnes in March. This demanding process was being implemented during the monitoring mission of the European Commission led by the Director of DG ENERGY, Mr. Massimo Garribba.

In March transports of two, out of the total twelve steam generators necessary to be transported from the V1 NPP, were performed. Weight of one SG is 145 tonnes, it is 11.8m long and has an internal diameter of 3,210 mm. The process of SG transport from the shutdown NPP was carried out for the very first time in history of Slovakia. The steam generators were transported on a special vehicle to a former V1 NPP turbine hall, where the workplace for their fragmentation is to be established (fragmentation – cutting into smaller pieces).

“After my arrival at Bohunice site, representatives of company JAVYS, a.s. - the decommissioning operator – have welcomed me with the very good news about the removal of the first steam generator from the reactors’ primary cooling circuits. This is a key step in the actual dismantling of the reactors and I owe my congratulations to JAVYS and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for that”, said Mr. Garibba, Director of Nuclear Energy, Safety and ITER at European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy.

Currently Slovakia is not the only country that is implementing this challenging process. The decommissioning programmes have been set up in connection with negotiations on the accession of Slovakia, Bulgaria and Lithuania to the European Union (EU), under which countries have committed themselves to finish the operation and then to shut down the Soviet type nuclear reactors. Since the start of this process, the decommissioning programmes have received substantial financial support from the European Union aiming at alleviating the financial burden.

“Decommissioning of nuclear installations is progressing in several EU Member States, nonetheless further progress is needed, since only a limited number of reactors has been fully decommissioned to date. In this context, the EU co-funded programme for the decommissioning of Bohunice V1 reactors in Slovakia is amongst the most advanced in Europe with the ambition to be the first case of complete dismantling and site release for this specific reactor technology (VVER Russian design)”, appreciated the activities of company JAVYS, a.s, Mr. Garribba.

During the unique process of the first steam generator transport, Slovakia, in parallel, organized a tripartite seminar focused on mutual exchange of knowledge between the decommissioning programmes of Bohunice, Kozloduy and Ignalina. Seminars on this subject have been held since 2015, always in the premises of one of the decommissioned facilities. This year the seminar was attended not only by representatives of companies responsible for nuclear power plants decommissioning, but also by representatives of the European Commission, programme coordinator of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, implementation bodies of the Bohunice programme – the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency; representatives of the National Nuclear Fund, Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
“This is not the first time I visit the Bohunice site and our monitoring missions have consistently marked the steady progress of this programme over the past years. They also confirmed that with support and supervision by the European Commission the Slovak Republic put in place an organisation and forces on the ground, which are proving to be effective and efficient means to maximise the chances for this programme to become a benchmark for other decommissioning activities and eventually a success story to tell. Maintaining the end date as planned in 2025 remains a challenging goal”, concluded the outcomes of the visit to Slovakia M. Garriba.

"I am really proud of all the words of praise from the EC representative and participants in the seminar that company JAVYS received for progress made in the decommissioning process because I know what difficult tasks are behind us but also tasks to be tackled. As a CEO of company JAVYS, I am truly pleased that Slovakia is referred to as a role model country for the nuclear power plants decommissioning process,” said Vladimir Švigár, CEO of JAVYS, a.s.
The inter-programme dissemination of information and experience brings the greatest added value to the European Union, since it contributes to increasing safety and environmental protection. That is why the development of contacts and dissemination of "lessons learnt" is the main objective for the future. It concerns both the decommissioning of nuclear installations and the management of radioactive waste, while gradually creating synergies between the Member States.

In the Slovak Republic, Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť, a. s. (JAVYS) provides activities in the area of back end of the nuclear energy. Its key activities include decommissioning of A1 and V1 nuclear power plants, radioactive waste management, spent nuclear fuel management, management of institutional radioactive waste and collected radioactive materials in the territory of the Slovak Republic. In all its activities, company JAVYS, a. s. pays particular attention to safety, quality and environment protection. Within the V1 NPP and A1 NPP decommissioning process, a crucial objective of the company is the environmental site restoration.

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