Safety issues of solid radioactive waste treatment at Ukrainian NPPs

In Ukraine, there are four nuclear power plants (NPPs) with 15 units in operation. Radioactive waste (RW) is generated during both operation and future decommissioning of NPPs. Designs of NPPs did not envisage comprehensive approach to RW management, and solution of these issues was postponed to the distant future. At the moment, RW treatment at Ukrainian NPPs is very limited (only few treatment facilities are in operation). RW is accumulated on NPP sites at special facilities for temporary storage. For optimization of RW management, solid RW treatment complexes are to be created at all NPPs. Some of them are under construction (Rivne and Zaporizhzhya NPPs), others are being designed (Khmelnitsky and South-Ukraine NPPs). The purpose of this paper is to define and analyze key safety problems of solid RW treatment at Ukrainian NPPs during operation and future decommissioning as well as to suggest possible ways of their solution.