Maišiagala radioactive waste storage facility

Maišiagala radioactive waste storage facility was a 200 m³ monolithic reinforced concrete cellar, built at a depth of 3 m in the Bartkuškis forest in the Širvintos district (9 km from Maišiagala and 40 km from Vilnius). This former "Radon" type storage facility was intended for the storage of radioactive waste collected by industrial enterprises, medical and scientific institutions between 1963 and 1989. 

During operation, the facility accumulated approximately 120 m³ of unsorted long-lived and short-lived radioactive waste of varying activity levels. The waste was layered with concrete. At the time of closure, the residual volume was filled with concrete and sand.

In accordance with modern radioactive waste management requirements, each type of waste must be managed separately, therefore waste must be removed from the storage facility, sorted, packed into special containers, and placed in disposal facilities for each type of waste. These works were performed by SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, in accordance with the decommissioning licence of Maišiagala Radioactive Waste Storage Facility, issued by VATESI on May 13, 2021. 

SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant had installed appropriate equipment for retreaving radioactive waste from the storage facility and dismantling contaminated structures of storage facility. Radioactive waste was retrieved from the storage facility vault and contaminated structures were dismantled. All radioactive waste retrieved from the vault and generated during decommissioning was transported to the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant radioactive waste management facilities in the Visaginas municipality for further storage and disposal.

The results of the final radiological measurements of the former storage site and the buildings remaining there confirmed that they are not contaminated with radionuclides and do not require supervision from a radiation safety perspective. 

However, in some groundwater monitoring wells at the site, tritium activity concentrations are periodically observed that exceed the limit permitted for drinking water according to the requirements of the Lithuanian Hygiene Standard (HN24:2023). Such residual tritium concentrations do not make a negative impact on the surrounding environment, as water is not extracted for drinking or use within the former storage facility’s territory.

On April 16, 2026, VATESI revoked the license for the decommissioning of the Maišiagala radioactive waste storage facility.

On the part of the former Maišiagala radioactive waste storage facility’s territory restriction on its future use will be applied – the extraction of water for consumption will be prohibited for a certain period of time. This restriction will remain in place until a decrease in the concentration of tritium in water monitoring wells to a level below that specified in the Lithuanian Hygiene Standard (HN 24:2023) is observed, lasting for no less than two years. SE Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant will continue to conduct radiological monitoring of groundwater and to maintain the former storage facility site and constructions.