State Economic Program of treatment of spent nuclear fuel of domestic nuclear power plants for the period up to 2025.

State Economic Program of treatment of spent nuclear fuel of domestic nuclear power plants for the period up to 2025 is a nationwide multi-sectoral policy document with a view to solve complex sectoral problems of spent nuclear fuel management generated by the Ukrainian nuclear power plants in operation, increase the economic efficiency of spent nuclear fuel management system, to establish framework conditions and tasks for the operating organization (operator of nuclear plant) regarding safe and cost-effective handling of spent nuclear fuel.
In the process of operation of nuclear power plants spent nuclear fuel is an integral part of nuclear fuel cycle. Given the economic conditions and lack of technical developments for the country today is optimal - long - term storage ("deferred decision"). With the commissioning of the centralized storage of spent nuclear fuel from domestic nuclear power plants the country will renounce these services of Russian enterprises and plans to store spent nuclear fuel in its own storage facility in accordance with the legal framework established by the Law "On the treatment of spent nuclear fuel for placement, design and construction of a centralized storage facility of spent nuclear fuel from reactor type WWER from domestic nuclear power plants".
According to the estimated data of NNEGC Energoatom, operation of spent nuclear fuel storage ("dry" type) of Zaporizhia nuclear power plant saves about 100 million US dollars annually by excluding the cost of services of the Russian enterprises for storage and processing of spent nuclear fuel from six power units of the aforesaid nuclear power plant. Commissioning centralized storage of spent nuclear fuel from domestic nuclear power plants will increase savings by almost 200 million US dollars per year.
The main result of the Program will be improvement of spent nuclear fuel management systems in Ukraine, increase its economic efficiency by putting into operation centralized storage of spent nuclear fuel from domestic nuclear power plants, strengthening energy security of the state and developing a long-term concept of waste management of spent nuclear fuel generated by the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which will determine strategic direction of these activities for the period up to 2035 and in the future.
Economic performance indicators of the Program, which is expected to be achieved by its implementation, shall be as follows: (a) changes in the management system of spent nuclear fuel in Ukraine, which operated until 2021, which will ensure the exclusion of costs for the export of spent nuclear fuel for technological storage and processing in the Russian Federation; and (b) overcoming the country's dependence on Russian suppliers of services for export and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and raising the level of national energy security.
Environmental indicators of the Program's effectiveness shall be as follows: (a) long-term isolation of spent nuclear fuel ("dry" storage) through the use of double engineering barrier that prevents negative radiation exposure to personnel, population and the natural environment; and (b) observance of dose limits of radiation impact on the personnel, the population and environment, established by norms, rules and nuclear and radiation safety standards.