The Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the Rosatom fuel subsidiary, TVEL signed an agreement on cooperation in terms of decommissioning of nuclear facilities and on waste management, the representative office of Rosatom in Uzbekistan said.
The document was signed by the Director of the Institute Ilham Sodiqov and the President of TVEL Natalia Nikipelova within the framework of the AtomExpo-2022 international forum.
The deal envisages the implementation of a decommissioning project of one of the buildings, as well as a low-level waste storage facility located on the territory of the institute, with preliminary organization of radioactive waste extraction.
In addition, the parties are intending to jointly participate in the implementation of projects to eliminate nuclear legacy in the CIS.
“TVEL is the base organization of the Commonwealth countries for decommissioning, management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel,” the report says. “In turn, INP also has a number of competencies in the field of nuclear backend, which can be in demand when implementing projects not only in Uzbekistan, but also in other countries of the region and the CIS.”
“The Tashkent Institute of Nuclear Physics has high-level competencies in the field of complex engineering and radiation surveys, analysis, assessment and justification of the safety of decommissioning and radioactive waste management. An agreement was reached that the applied tasks and capabilities of the institute in the field of the nuclear backend will be taken into account when forming the work plans of the CIS base organization,” said Natalya Nikipelova.
Reportedly, the Institute of Nuclear Physics has a powerful scientific and technical infrastructure, including the WWR-SM research reactor, a cyclotron, a linear accelerator, a gamma-ray facility and a neutron generator, which are used to conduct fundamental and applied scientific research.
Rosatom noted that the work of TVEL as a base organization includes assistance in the implementation of projects and programs for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the rehabilitation of territories, including the construction and operation of storage facilities for nuclear materials.
