MANAGEMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE
The public service of managing of institutional radioactive waste or waste that is not waste from nuclear facilities for energy production includes the provision of services to the generators and owners of those RW that were not generated during energy production. By this we fulfill the national strategic goal of enabling the implementation of radiation activities in industry, medicine and research ans well as ensuring radiation safety even after the use of radiation sources has ended.
In addition to the collection, processing and preparation and storage of RW, the public service also includes the management and operation of the Central Storage Facility in Brinje (CSF). The occupancy of storage space is approximately 80%. With such occupation, it is necessary to constantly implement measures to reduce the volume of RW that the waste occupies in the storage. We do this by processing and optimizing stored RW. The effect of treatment is positive, because after treatment, RW has better properties and thus enables safer storage, but at the same time, usually also occupy a smaller volume in the storage. Despite new acceptances of waste the amount of stored RW is increasing more slowly than it would have been if no treatment had been carried out. For RW, the specific activity of which during storage in CSF will not fall below the level of abandonment or will not be handed over for recycling or reuse, it is planned to be disposed in Vrbina, together with RW from NPP Krško.
We have been operating CSF safely since 1999, without extraordinary events or accidents
We regulary maintain and manage updates of the facility, the built-in systems, taking care of security, monitore the radioactivity of the surroundings, as well as provide all documentation and permits for the implementation of activities, the basic purpose of which is to prove the nuclear and radiation safety of the storage.
We ensure storage security with a number of technical systems. The storage is partially dug into the ground and covered with a layer of soil, the walls and floor are made of reinforced concrete. It is equipped with a ventilation system that improves the working conditions of employees, a system for dehumidifying the indoor air that reduces the possibility of metal objects rusting, and a fire system that ensures fire safety. The facility is also physically and technically protected.
