Ukraine Advances Modernization of Odesa Radioactive Waste Management System

The State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM) recently organized a working meeting in Odesa to discuss the modernization of the radioactive waste management system and the implementation progress of related international technical assistance projects. The meeting was held at the Odesa Interregional Branch of the Ukrainian state-owned specialized enterprise “Association Radon,” chaired by Oleksiy Budyk, Deputy Head of SAUEZM, with participation from the Joint Support Office (JSO), NT-Engineering LLC, and management and experts of “Association Radon.”

The meeting covered two international technical assistance projects: first, the design, manufacturing, certification, supply, after-sales service, and operational training of liquid radioactive waste transport equipment; second, a feasibility study on the safe management of disused sealed radioactive sources.

According to the project arrangements, the relevant equipment will be used to retrieve liquid radioactive waste from the storage facilities of the Association Radon Interregional Branch and transport it to subsequent processing, conditioning, and disposal sites. The projects will also review Ukraine's equipment needs and procedural requirements for the safe removal, transport, and storage of disused radioactive sources, covering non-legacy radioactive waste in existing storage facilities, sealed sources currently in use that may be transferred to storage in the future, and sources affected by accidents or conflicts.

During the meeting, participating experts conducted an on-site review of the operation and storage systems of the radioactive waste storage facilities at the Odesa Interregional Branch, performed preliminary surveys of the relevant facilities, compiled baseline data required for project implementation, and discussed subsequent work arrangements.

SAUEZM stated that upon project completion, the initiatives will help remove liquid radioactive waste, free up the relevant storage facilities, and create conditions for subsequent decommissioning efforts; they will also drive the modernization of existing infrastructure and the upgrade of the material and technical base, enhancing the management capacity for radioactive waste such as disused ionizing radiation sources.

Reducing the accumulation of radioactive waste and improving the safety level of radioactive waste management facilities are key objectives of the relevant institutions in advancing project construction at this stage.