On June 8-9, 2011 working meetings on the topics of ТStrategies of Operational Organizations on Prolongation of Service Life of REA and EDF Nuclear PlantsУ and ТDiagnostic Examinations and Maintenance of Underground Line Pipes and CommunicationsУ was held at Novovoronezh NPP in accordance with the Agreement of Collaboration between Rosenergoatom concern OJSC and Electricite de France (EDF).

Heads and high level specialists of both the generating companies took part in the meeting work. The French party was represented by Deputy Director of the Nuclear Branch Industry Engineering Department Alain Keramsi, Consultant (former Director of the Direction for EDF Operation) Jacques Leclerc, Gravelines NPP Executive Technical Director Ciriaco Yusson, Geads of the branches and projects took part in the meeting work. Rosenergoatom Concern was represented by two NPPs Directors and the company chief specialists.

Welcoming the meeting participants, NV NPP Director Vladimir Povarov underlined that the nuclear power branch was international by its nature. ТAtomists face common problems, even if we only judge by our today topic and by the list of the questions includedУ, he mentioned.

Vladimir P. Povarov told the French colleagues about the experience of NV NPP in prolongation of power units Nos. 3 and 4 operation lives and about the works on the fifth power unit modernization being carried out. According to him, the modernization implied a complete replacement of the reactor unit management control system, based on an up-to-date elementary basis supplied with self-diagnostics, and electrical technical equipment would be replaced for the most modern models by 80%. Thus, its safety and reliability would be improved even more.

In the course of the meeting the questions of mutual interest were considered. In particular they touched upon the comparison of the approaches to the control over operation lives of Russian and French nuclear plants (NV NPP - Gravelines NPP, Balakovo NPP Р Cantom NPP). In addition, the partiesХ presentations concerning the topic of the meeting were presented.

Novovoronezh NPP emergency response was highly estimated by the French colleagues.

The international meeting participants attended the power units of Novovoronezh NPP, its RDES, mobile diesel-generator and NVNPP-2 construction site.

Novovoronezh NPP is a branch of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is situated on the bank of the Don River, 42 km to the south of Voronezh. This is the first Russian NPP with VVER-type reactors (pressurized water reactors of the vessel type using light pressurized water). Each of the five plant reactors is the main one Р a prototype of serial power-producing reactors: power unit No. 1 with the VVER-210 reactor, power unit No. 2 with the VVER-365 reactor, power units Nos. 3, 4 with the VVER-440 reactors and power unit No. 5 with the VVER-1000 reactor. 

At present, the plant operates power unit No. 4; power unit No. 3 has been in schedule maintenance for 27 days; power unit No. 5 has been in maintenance for 256 days, a group of actions on operation life prolongation is being performed.

The radiation background at Novovoronezh NPP and in the area of its location corresponds to the normal operation of power units and does not exceed the natural environmental values.

Detailed and timely information about the radiation environment near Russian NPPs and other objects of the nuclear industry is available in the site www.russianatom.ru.