en.Wedoany.com Reported - Lithuania's Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant has launched a tender to dismantle the cores of two RBMK-1500 reactors. The contract is valued at approximately €400 million ($457 million), covering the entire project implementation period, including dismantling works, licensing, supply of specialized dismantling equipment, dismantling of the two reactor cores, and radioactive waste management.
The reactor core is the central part of the reactor, comprising the graphite stack, surrounding structures, and their filling materials. These cores are located in shafts measuring 21 meters by 21 meters in cross-section and 25 meters in depth. A total of approximately 25,000 tonnes of material will be removed from the two reactors. A significant portion of the material in these areas is long-lived radioactive waste, making the dismantling process dependent on specialized technical solutions, international expertise, and the strictest nuclear and radiation safety requirements.
Altra company described this work as "the most important and technically demanding phase of the entire large-scale decommissioning project." Linas Baužys, General Manager of Altra, stated that this tender is an invitation to the international nuclear community to contribute to a project that has never been implemented globally, and looks forward to attracting companies with international experience to jointly deliver one of the world's most complex nuclear reactor dismantling projects.
The tender is conducted in two phases through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) e-procurement portal. In the first phase, participants submit technical proposals, and in the second phase, financial proposals. The deadline for submitting technical proposals is November 5. The contract is expected to be awarded in 2027. From the effective date of the contract, the project is expected to take approximately 16 years to complete. The project is funded by the European Commission through the Ignalina International Decommissioning Support Fund, managed by the EBRD.
The RBMK-1500 is an upgraded high-capacity version of the Soviet-designed graphite-moderated nuclear reactor, built only at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. By using less cooling water and spiral flow, its electrical power output reached 1500 MWe. These reactors were later derated to 1300 MWe. Lithuania assumed ownership of both units after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. As a condition for joining the European Union, Lithuania agreed to shut down the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, with Unit 1 closing in December 2004 and Unit 2 in December 2009. In April 2022, the last cask of spent fuel was transferred from the Ignalina reactor building to an on-site interim storage facility. The reactors are expected to be fully decommissioned by 2038, with most of the decommissioning costs funded by the European Union through the EBRD and other funds.
Acting Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas stated that the dismantling of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant reactor cores is an unprecedented project, and Lithuania will become the first country to dismantle an RBMK-1500 reactor. The jointly gained experience and developed technical solutions will provide valuable knowledge for other countries facing similar challenges in the future, demonstrating Lithuania's ability to deliver one of the world's most complex nuclear decommissioning projects while maintaining the highest safety standards.
