Regarding the renewal of work activities

SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (hereinafter – INPP, Enterprise) is renewing the work activities from 20 April which were temporarily suspended from 6 April because of the risk of spreading COVID-19.

The work by a minimal regime was carried out at the INPP in response to the quarantine situation in the country and to ensure the safety of employees.

During the first week, INPP will renew the processes that are strategically important and necessary for the ensuring of smooth implementation of the decommissioning process. This is the process of spent nuclear fuel loading into containers and transporting to the storage facility and related auxiliary activities such as radiation protection, repairs, laboratory tests, waste removal, solid radioactive waste management and preparation for dismantling activities. During the second week, the dismantling work and associated activities will be started, and during the third week, the initial treatment of radioactive waste and any remaining processes will be resumed during the third week.

The employees who are working in a remote way will continue to work from home until the quarantine regime is revoked in the country.

It should be noted, that during two weeks of working by the minimal regime, the enterprise has developed and implemented additional measures that will strengthen the occupational safety and enable the employees to work under changed conditions. The staff shall be guided by the new rules on the organization of work and their behaviour at work, which defined the appropriate conditions for ensuring the occupational safety and health during the COVID-19 outbreak (threat) and the associated adverse epidemiological situation. In addition, the staff flows have been adjusted by changing work schedules and avoiding employee gatherings at the entrances. Also, the more frequent disinfection of premises and surfaces have been organized, disinfectants for hands are installed at all entrances to the main premises, radiation control equipment is constantly disinfected. Employees are regularly provided with personal protective equipment, as well as their temperature is measured. Besides of that, other measures have been implemented, such as strict regulation of distances between employees and their movement routes, minimizing of contacts, installing of additional entrances and physical barriers directing personnel according to the planned movement schemes and others.

“We will live and work in the changed conditions for a long time, so this two-week period has been maximally used for the smooth return of employees to a safe working environment. However, we must not forget that we all are responsible for stopping the spread of the virus, and we must remain conscious and make every effort to successfully meet this unprecedented challenge. At the present our employees are safe and the work continues”, – said Director General of INPP Audrius Kamienas.

It should be noted that the two-week minimal working regime did not have a material impact on the INPP work schedules and projects progress. All work is carried out according to the established plans.