06.05.2011  Public Relations and Information Office of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC

Public Inspections have been Completed at Russian NPPs

In April, 2011 public inspections, aimed at provision of public control over nuclear plants operation, were held at all Russian NPPs.

Within the framework of the program of public inspections at the nuclear branch facilities organized at the initiative of Rosatom State Corporation, specially formed public groups visited all the Russian NPPs with the purpose of getting acquainted with the NPPs safety systems as well as with the production conditions and culture. The representatives of legislative and executive branch, local government, public and ecologic organizations, civil defense, scientific, medical, education and culture organizations and establishments, representatives of clergy and journalists were included into the groups of public inspections. Thus, from March to April 30, more than 400 leaders of public opinion visited the nuclear plants, over 250 journalists of district and federal Mass Media followed them.

12 press-tours for printing and virtual mass media representatives also became a part of the program of public inspections at Russian NPPs. More than 240 journalists, among them over 40 representatives of Austrian, Bulgaria, Turkey, Finland mass media, attended Russian nuclear plants only in course of a month. In particular, foreign journalists visited Kalinin and Rostov NPP.

The total number of participants of the press-tours and public inspections at the NPPs was equal to about 900 people.

The press-tour and public inspection participants noted a high degree of reliability and safety of Russian NPP nuclear power units.

Public inspections became one of the links of the control over safety and emergency preparedness of Russian nuclear branch facilities.

In the first decade of April unscheduled emergency drills, aimed at working out of the actions of emergency services, the plant personnel and the administration, were held at all Russian operating NPPs. During the drills, which scenarios provided complete deenergization of all the power units and complete loss of the reactor unitsХ cooling water, the NPPs employees demonstrated their readiness for the actions within the framework of an accident beyond the design basis as well as for the conversion and maintenance of the reactor units in a safe controlled condition. Also own devices meant for acting in the conditions of an off-nominal situation: diesel pump units, mobile autonomous diesel generating systems Р underwent inspection as well.

Besides, Federal Service on Ecologic, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostekhnadzor) organized the inspections of all Russian NPPs safety systems in compliance with the Program of Nuclear Plants Inspection on the Provision of Safety, developed by Rosatom State Corporation and ratified by Rostekhnadzor. The inspectors checked the NPPs activity on the provision of the power unitsХ safety, analyzed engineering, operation and the enterprise documents for meeting of safety requirements, regulations and rules and, in particular, provision of their seismic resistance and protection against hydrogen explosion.

On April 22, Corporate Public Inspection of the World Association of the Organizations Operating Nuclear Plants (WANO), which had been held since April 9 to 22, 2011, was completed in Rosenergoatom Concern. During that period, four expert groups consisted of WANO, Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC, EDF and IAEA representatives personally visited 7 of the 10 nuclear plants with the purpose of using international experience for further improvement Rosenergoatom Concern and its branches activity. Besides, a teleconference bridge was organized with Bilibino nuclear plant (Chukotka), and two more plants Р Kalinin and Smolensk ones Р were visited by the experts during the preparation period.

The peer reviews are one of WANO long-term program. They are based on the principle of voluntariness, i.e. they are organized at the initiative of the accepting party. The inspection result in a confidential report reflecting the nuclear plant operation strong sides and the fields of production activity to be improved. Up to present time the expert report has been handed to the inspected plant and the operating organization, which includes the NPP, only. Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC came out with the initiative of making the report open and spread it at all the Russian operating plants.

Today, Concern includes all 10 Russian nuclear plants that possess the status of its branches. All in all, Russian nuclear plants operate 32 power units, among them: 16 pressurized water reactors (10 VVER-1000 and 6 VVER-440), 15 pressurized-tube boiling water reactors (11 RBMK-1000 and 4 EGP-6), and 1 fast neutron reactor. The construction of new nuclear plants is carried out at the sites of Novovoronezh NPP-2 and Leningrad NPP-2.

In 2010, Russian nuclear plants generated almost 17% of the total electric power production in Russia.


Back to the list