At the Rostov NPP in Volgodonsk, as part of the import substitution program, the production of parts for in-house needs has started on the basis of the renovated centralized repair shop (CRS). In the list of components that were previously purchased abroad, and now they will be manufactured directly at the site of the nuclear power plant, there are already more than 150 items that are not difficult to manufacture - shafts, axles, hubs, valve stems, which are actively used in the repair and maintenance of turbines and pumping equipment.

“Today, Rosenergoatom pays great attention to import substitution issues, a program has been created, according to which we are moving forward and have already achieved some success. Therefore, to launch the production of spare parts for the needs of the nuclear power plant, the machine park of the centralized repair shop was modernized and updated. The tasks of the design team, which develops the necessary documentation for the manufacture of parts on its own base, were also expanded. This year, we have received all permits and are starting to produce components at our site,” says Andrey Salnikov, director of the Rostov NPP.

For three years, as part of the modernization of the machine park of mechanical repair shops, the equipment was updated by 111%. Now more than 50 machines are working here, including new ones with functionality that has significantly expanded the possibilities for manufacturing import-substituting spare parts.

“The program of import substitution on the basis of our own production is being performed by the Department for the preparation and implementation of repairs (DPIR). The divisions of the nuclear power plant form a database of spare parts that will soon need to be replaced. During the repair campaign, the specialists of the design team measure the details and develop drawings. After the design documentation passes the examination and is agreed with the head design organizations, the metal is purchased and, on the basis of mechanical repair shops, they begin high-precision manufacturing of the necessary parts from metal, paronite, cardboard, rubber, graflex and other materials,” said the head of the DPIR Alexey Eremeenko.

By the end of 2023, it is planned to additionally put into operation a new section at the Rostov NPP - a thermal one, which will also allow annealing, normalization and hardening of metal parts right at the nuclear power plant site. This will not only make it possible to carry out a full cycle of manufacturing parts for equipment repair without sending it for processing to other enterprises, but will also remove dependence on foreign suppliers.

Today, the Russian industry, including the nuclear power industry, is faced with the goal of providing technological sovereignty and transition to the latest technologies as soon as possible. The state directs significant resources to the accelerated development of the domestic research, infrastructure, scientific and technological base. The introduction of innovations, the policy of import independence and import substitution allows Rosatom, Rosenergoatom to occupy new market niches, increasing the competitiveness of the nuclear industry and the entire Russian industry as a whole.

The Rostov NPP is a branch of Rosenergoatom (part of the largest division of the State Corporation Rosatom, Electric Power). The enterprise is located on the bank of the Tsimlyansk reservoir, 13.5 km from the city of Volgodonsk. The nuclear power plant operates four power units with nuclear reactors of the PWR-1000 type. Daily power generation by each power unit is about 25 million kWh.

The share of nuclear generation in the structure of power production in the Rostov region is more than 70%, the United Energy System (UES) of the South - about 30%. The energy system of the South of Russia includes the regional energy systems of the Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts, located on the territory of nine republics, Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, Rostov, Volgograd, Astrakhan Regions with a total population of more than 27 million people.

Operational information on the radiation situation next to Russian NPPs and other facilities of the nuclear industry is available on the website www.russianatom.ru.