On Thursday, May 28, at the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility site, Oleg Korikov, Chairman of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), officially handed over the license for the “nuclear facility operation” life cycle stage of the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility to Pavlo Kovtonyuk, Acting Chairman of the Board of NAEK “Energoatom.”
“Obtaining the license to operate the repository confirms the Ukrainian nuclear industry’s ability to implement large-scale and technologically complex projects in accordance with the highest global safety standards,” stated the head of Energoatom during the handover of the licensing documents.
According to him, the facility’s operation over the next 100 years will strengthen the energy resilience of Ukraine’s nuclear power generation, ensure the safe management of spent nuclear fuel, and provide the state with significant economic benefits—currently, Ukraine saves approximately $200 million annually, which was previously spent on transporting fuel abroad.
In turn, as noted by SNRIU Chairman Korikov, the issuance of a license for the “nuclear facility operation” life cycle stage of the CSFSF marks the completion of the process of establishing Ukraine’s own system for the safe management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF).
Prior to the issuance of this license, the storage facility operated under a separate commissioning license.
“From the perspective of the state regulatory body for nuclear and radiation safety, it is important that the operation of the CSFSF ensures compliance with nuclear and radiation safety requirements and IAEA standards,” Korikov emphasized.
He explained that, in accordance with these standards, the spent fuel storage pools of each reactor unit at a nuclear power plant must have sufficient free volume to accommodate the complete unloading of the core at any point during operation.
“The CSFSF is a practical solution to the issue of spent nuclear fuel management following the termination of cooperation with Russia in this area,” added the head of the SNRA.
The decision to issue the license was the result of a state review of the nuclear and radiation safety of the supporting documentation for Energoatom’s application and an inspection of the operating organization.
As Energoatom noted, construction of the CSFSF began in 2017. In 2020, construction of the first launch complex was completed, and in 2021, the special Vilcha-Yaniv railway line was completed, connecting the storage facility to Ukraine’s general railway network.
On the eve of the full-scale Russian invasion, Energoatom completed a series of cold tests of all the facility’s systems, and on April 25, 2022, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate issued a separate permit to commission the CSFSF.
In other words, until May 25, 2026, the storage facility operated under a separate permit and a special license for commissioning. After completing all necessary procedures and inspections, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate issued the CSFSF a permanent operating license.
The stable operation of the CSFSF ensures the continued operation of nine Ukrainian power units in the territory controlled by Ukraine and guarantees the continuity of electricity generation.
Previously, Ukraine shipped spent nuclear fuel from the Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, and South Ukraine NPPs to Russia annually for storage and reprocessing, spending approximately $200 million on this. The creation of the CSFSF made it possible to completely abandon this practice and eliminate critical dependence on Russian nuclear infrastructure.
The repository is designed for at least 100 years of operation and uses the “dry” storage technology developed by the American company Holtec International, which is used in the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
