Status of the RA research reactor decommissioning project

The 6.5 MW heavy water RA research reactor at the VINCA Institute of Nuclear Sciences operated from 1959 to 1984. After 18 years of extended shutdown in 2002 it was decided that the reactor shutdown should be final. Preliminary decommissioning activities have been initiated by the end of 2002 under the Technical Co-operation Programme of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The objective of the project is to implement safe, timely and cost-effective decommissioning of the RA reactor up to unrestricted use of the site. Decommissioning project is closely related to two other projects: Safe Removal of the RA Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management in VINCA Institute. The main phases of the project include preparation of the detailed decommissioning plan, radiological characterization of the reactor site, dismantling and removal of the reactor components and structures, decontamination, final radiological site survey and the documentation of all the activities in order to obtain the approval for unrestricted use of the facility site. In this paper a review of the activities related to the preparation and realization of the RA reactor decommissioning project is given. Status of the project's organizational and technical aspects as for July 2004 are presented and plans for the forthcoming phases of the project realization are outlined. (author)