Ignalina Nuclear Power Tender

ScopeLocated near Ignalina Lithuania the Ignalina nuclear power plant originally featured two 4800MW units. The first power plant unit was commissioned in 1983 and the second unit in 1987. The capacity of each unit was reduced to 4200MW after the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine in April 1986. The plant is currently undergoing decommissioning that is controlled by the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy. The units were shut down in 2004 and 2009 respectively citing the potential risk of nuclear hazard due to the similar RBMK 1500 reactors as used in the infamous Chernobyl plant. Ignalina plant was designed to remain operational until 2015 if not closed. Due to be completed in 2038 the decommissioning project is estimated to cost 3.4bn 3.8bn. The Ignalina nuclear power station used two light-water graphite-moderated high-power channel type RBMK 1500 reactors that were designed by the Soviet Union. An accident localisation system ALS was also in place to contain the radioactive materials in the plant. Several non-upgradable faults of the reactor design were discovered during the Anticipated Transients Without Scram ATWS study. The study was performed to identify the power plant reactors potential improvement scope and threats as well as the requirements for the reactors shutdown system future modifications. The effective shutdown system acted as a substitute for the insufficient intrinsic safety features in the RBMK reactors while the lack of proper containment building increased the potential risks leading to the plants closure.