On November 30, ChNPP specialists participated in Round Table “Challenges of Fuel Containing Material Management”

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Fuel containing materials are the nuclear fuel of Chornobyl NPP former Power Unit 4 damaged due to the beyond-design-basis accident, fuel assemblies of Power Unit 4 spent fuel pool bundles and any other materials (pieces of reactor core, mixtures, corium, solutions, chemical compounds, dust etc.) containing the appreciable amount of nuclear fuel (i.e. its concentration is ≥ 1 of weight percent).

Fuel containing materials of Shelter facility are long-lived radioactive waste. The most famous example of fuel containing material is so called “elephant foot”.

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In mid-November, two emergency drills were held at ChNPP. Two different facilities were chosen as training sites: Spent Fuel Storage Facility No. 1 and the Liquid Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant.

At the storage facility, the exercise scenario stipulated a fire occurrence on the equipment with further worsening of the radiation situation. At the plant, according to the scenario, a drum with radioactive waste fell during transportation, which led to the radioactive substances and aerosols release into the facility's interior.

The purpose of such exercises is to check the readiness of the operating personnel to interact with various ChNPP units, fire and rescue and medical services, as well as to practice personnel actions in stressful emergency situations. The drills and analysis of their results help to maintain a high level of emergency preparedness at the plant, improve the system of interaction and improve the skills of operational personnel to effectively respond to such situations in real life.

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On November 22, a high-level opening event took place in virtual mode to kick off a series of activities on mental health support for operating personnel of NPPs in Ukraine.

This work is some part of the IAEA comprehensive medical programme announced by the IAEA Director General, Mr Rafael Mariano Grossi, on 26 April 2023.

The main objective of this programme is to enable that the operating personnel at NPPs in Ukraine have access to services of psychological counselling and mental health support. It will allow ensuring the continued fitness of these personnel for duty.

In addition, the programme assumes a series of trainings and workshops for regular staff psychologists of NPPs and psychologists in the towns-satellites.

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On 14 November, the personnel of the Chornobyl NPP office in Slavutych participated in the special facility training. The drill involved employees following a designated route to reach radiation shelters, simulating actions in case of emergencies.

The drill aimed to practice response procedures and evaluate the coordination of evacuation personnel, including issuing evacuation commands, opening evacuation exits, and organizing staff.

Oksana Yegorenko, an officer from the ChNPP Emergency Preparedness and Response Department, commented that the training was successful providing practical experience for the staff to learn emergency procedures and address potential issues.

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