17.04.2019  THE BALAKOVO NPP INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ADMINISTRATION

The Balakovo NPP: over 30 top managers and specialists from Russian and Bulgarian nuclear power plants have completed the ‘Leadership in nuclear power’ training

On April 7-13, an international training seminar on the topic of ‘Leadership in the nuclear power’ took place at the Balakovo NPP (an affiliate of the Rosenergoatom Joint-Stock Company) featuring representatives of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).

During the seminar, over 30 participants from nuclear power plants and organizations within the Rosenergoatom network as well as a representative of the Kozloduy NPP (Bulgaria) undertook a training on management and effective leadership in the nuclear power industry. The seminar’s curriculum was based on the longstanding consolidated and combined experience in nuclear power operation that was processed and approved by all regional leaders of the WANO.

‘Hosting a leadership seminar on this site is quite a challenge for us since the Balakovo NPP is one of the best in Russia and the Moscow WANO office, including but not limited to being the best in terms of the safety culture’, Andrey Lukyanenko, the head of the ‘Training and Development’ program at the Moscow WANO office, said.

The seminar’s curriculum covered a wide range of aspects and combined both theoretical knowledge and hands-on training in the form of presentations, business games, and coaching sessions. The WANO experts have elaborated on the specifics of the leadership role (focusing on the nuclear power industry) in achieving high performance indicators, as well as held a number of lectures and practical communication trainings.

Another topic was the way the nuclear safety culture can be enhanced at the NPPs. The WANO specialists have presented materials on how to investigate incidents in the energy, oil & gas and space industries. In order to demonstrate a great sample of adherence to safety measures, the guests and the participants of the seminar were given an opportunity to visit the 1st power block of the Balakovo NPP.

At the end of the seminar, the trainees were impressed about how comprehensive and deeply the leadership topic was covered with the emphasize on personal responsibility for safety. The key idea was that a leader in the nuclear power industry is the main driver and the guarantor of safety.

Summing up the results of the training seminar on ‘Leadership in the nuclear power’, Valeriy Bessonov, the Director of the Balakovo NPP, noted: ‘I believe we should gather every bit of experience and turn to the way the best practices are enshrined at our power plants. This will help us work out common understanding and gradual implementation of leadership skills and nuclear safety culture at all our NPPs’.

The Balakovo NPP is an affiliate for the Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is located on the left bank of the Saratov water reservoir, 10 kilometers to the north-east from the city of Balakovo, the Saratov Region. The NPP has four power block with modern VVER-1000 reactors (B-320 modification) boasting an electric capacity of 100 megawatts each. The first power block was launched operational in 1985, with the second, the third, and the fourth one being started in 1987, 1988, and 1993 respectively. The Balakovo NPP is one of the biggest and most contemporary power companies in Russia accounting for 25% of the electric power output in the Volga federal district, which caters to the population of the Volga region, the Central region, the Ural, and the Siberia. 


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