Ignalina in-depth safety assessment

An in-depth Western-style Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for the two-unit Ignalina RBMK nuclear power plant in Lithuania has been prepared by the plant with the aid of Western engineering organizations and the Russian reactor chief design institute, the Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering. The review of the SAR has been carried out by a team of Eastern and Western technical safety organizations that support regulatory authorities. An independent panel of safety experts oversaw the project. The project was unique because it (1) was the first to produce a plant-specific Western-style SAR to be used for licensing for the first time an operating Soviet-designed nuclear power plant, (2) was a multinational and multicultural effort, and (3) had an independent review by Eastern and Western safety experts. The review found several safety issues requiring urgent short-term actions, and a recommendation was made to the Lithuanian government that the units not be allowed to restart after their 1997 maintenance outage until these problems were dealt with to the satisfaction of the Lithuanian regulatory authorities.