The Transparency Table was held yesterday, at the Salone dei Quadri at the Municipality of Sessa Aurunca, regarding disposal operations for the Garigliano power plant.
The meeting, convened by the Vice-President of the Campania Region - Hon. Fulvio Bonavitacola, was attended by Sogin, the National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ISIN), representatives of the Region’s technical structures, ARPA Campania, local and regional administrators and environmental associations from the territory.
Sogin outlined the ongoing dismantling and safety maintenance operations at the Campania power plant during the debates and discussions. Firstly, the dismantling of the plant's Vessel that had begun last December. This process, first initiated by Sogin at the Garigliano power plant, marks a significant step towards completing the site’s nuclear decommissioning.
Operations carried out so far have involved flooding the Vessel and the reactor channel so as to allow subsequent dismantling operations under water; the water effectively acts as a biological shield against radiation, allowing technicians to work in safety. Subsequent stages will focus on removing the equipment from the top of the Vessel, followed by dismantling the Vessel and its internal components, known as internals.
At the same time, work started in November 2023 to dismantle the components of the Turbine Building continued, carried out with the use of advanced demolition and decontamination techniques to ensure no radioactivity dispersion into the environment, thus ensuring maximum safety for operators during operations. Work is also proceeding on the construction of the temporary D2 repository facility, with the drainage system and the foundation slab currently under construction, and on the adaptation of the former compactor building into a temporary storage facility, with the demolition (which has already taken place) and its reconstruction, in accordance with current anti-seismic regulations.
Both facilities will then store waste resulting from site decommissioning operations, pending their transfer to the National Repository, once it becomes available. Lastly, Sogin announced that the demolition work had been completed on the 72-metre high water tower, which up to now, had characterised the site's skyline. The tower, with a tank on top that contained the facility's industrial water, was replaced with a new water supply system, which will be used for the ongoing decommissioning operations. The event also provided an opportunity to update those attending on the process for the siting and construction of the National Repository and Technology Park.
These updates highlight Sogin's commitment to safely and efficiently carrying out dismantling operations, with the utmost consideration for the safety of operators, the population, whilst protecting the surrounding environment.