Dismantling of reactor channels to begin at second Ignalina unit

In accordance with the approved technical design, the steam-water discharge piping at the top of the reactor and the water supply piping at the bottom of the reactor, as well as other related systems and their components, will be dismantled, and initial treatment of radioactive waste will be carried out. The project also includes the dismantling of the fuel channels and the reactor control and safety channels located within the reactor.

Altra - the Lithuanian state-owned company leading the decommissioning of the Ignalina plant - said dismantling work is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026. Until then, the company will carry out preparatory work: installation of engineering systems, testing of remote control equipment, and upgrading and adaption of the radioactive waste management infrastructure to handle the waste generated during this project.

"The dismantling of the reactor channels of the first power unit has been completed, therefore the permit for the second unit paves the way for a consistent continuation of the dismantling process of both reactors," Altra said.

_{(Image: Altra)}

"Nobody in the world has ever dismantled a power plant of this size and radiation contamination," said Altra CEO Linas Baužys. "The transition to the second unit is a significant step forward in implementing the mega-project for decommissioning the Ignalina nuclear power plant. We have dismantled two-thirds of the first reactor with our own forces - the most complex and radiation-hazardous dismantling of the reactor cores remains, for which we will use external contractors. Our experience with the first unit allows us to confidently move on to the dismantling stages of the second unit. We are carrying out some of the work using remote and robotic technologies to ensure the highest safety standards."

The dismantling of unnecessary systems and equipment at the power plant has been carried out since 2010, and the overall dismantling progress has already reached 45.7%, Altra said. It is planned that the final dismantling of the reactors, including the dismantling of the most complex reactor cores, will take place by 2043, and all decommissioning-related work will be completed by 2050, with the final cleaning of the reactor buildings.

This year, Altra also plans to carry out dismantling and decontamination works on the steam drum separators of both power units of the Ignalina plant. There are eight such devices - metal cylinders with a diameter of almost 3 metres and a length of about 30 metres - in both power units of the plant, the total weight of which exceeds 6,000 tonnes. In November 2024, US-based company Amentum was awarded a contract worth an estimated EUR5.5 million (USD6.5 million) to consult for the first-of-a-kind dismantling of steam drum separators at Ignalina units 1 and 2.

Lithuania assumed ownership of the two RBMK-1500 units - light-water, graphite-moderated reactors, similar to those at Chernobyl - in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It agreed to shut down the Ignalina plant as a condition of its accession to the European Union, with unit 1 shutting down in December 2004 and unit 2 in December 2009. The reactors are expected to be fully decommissioned by 2038, with most of the cost of the decommissioning being funded by the European Union via the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other funds.