Sogin completes the extraction of radioactive sludge in Latina
18 May 2022
As reported today to the press, Sogin ended the extraction and conditioning operations on the radioactive sludge located in Latina nuclear power plant. The event also saw the participation of the Mayor of Latina, Damiano Coletta.
Sogin carried out operations with the LECO (Latina Estrazione Condizionamento, Latina Extraction and Conditioning) plant, specifically designed by the Company to extract and condition approximately 15 cubic metres of radioactive sludge in cement matrix stored in an underground stainless steel tank.
This sludge was the remains of the treatment system implemented on liquid radioactive effluents when the Latina plant was in operation.
The radioactive sludge extraction, transfer, and conditioning in cement matrix operations performed by Sogin's technicians operating remotely from a control booth started on 24 November 2021, and ended in due time.
Approximately 70 products resulting from the extraction and conditioning of this sludge were shipped to the plant's temporary repository before their future conferment to the National Repository as soon as it is ready.
At the end of the operations, the extraction building of the LECO plant and the underground tank shall be subject to reclamation procedures and demolished. Instead, the conditioning plant shall be used to condition the radioactive waste that shall result from the second deactivation phase of the plant, to be launched when the National Repository is available. Following this phase, the conditioning plant shall also be demolished.
This engineering solution allowed us to safely perform the operations and minimise the amount of radioactive waste produced in compliance with Sogin's circular economy strategy without any environmental impact.
Overall, dismantling the Latina power plant shall produce approximately 320 thousand tons of materials. Among these, about 297 thousand tons (93%) - mainly consisting of metals and concrete - shall be sent for recovery.