The team of experts from the Joint-Stock Company’s headquarters along with the representatives of the Balakovo, the Novovoronezh and the Smolensk NPPs spent a week to review the documents, visit the halls and examine the equipment, observe the work processes, and interview the staff.

‘This verification was scheduled, and our primary goal was to evaluate how safety is provisioned at the Kola NPP, in particular – nuclear safety. Our common objective is to make the plant adhere to the global best practices’, Mikhail Molchanov, head of the NPP safety inspections department at the Rosenergoaton Joint-Stock Company and the commission chairman, said during the meeting summarizing the outcomes of the visit.

The methodology for conducting such verifications is constantly being improved and adjusted based on the practices elaborated by international organizations and competent experts. The basic tenets always remain the same – noting the strong sides, identifying the weak points, analyzing and proposing changes.

Communication was the major focus of the commission. Safety is not only about strict adherence to rules and standards, it also pre-supposes interaction. The commission felt that the Kola NPP staff has shown a lot of transparency and involvement in making the improvements happen.

‘Regular external inspections help us make the most of the top-notch experience and practices. We thank our colleagues for the comprehensive approach and attention to details, for the professional analysis of work processes that require further enhancements’, Vladimir Matveev, the chief engineer at the Kola NPP, noted.

Following the visit, the commission will submit a declaration that will serve as a basis for elaborating a set of corrective actions to be taken at the Kola NPP and provide documents summarizing the accumulated experience to be used at other NPPs of the Rosenergoaton Joint-Stock Company.

The Kola NPP has already undergone 22 inspections of different statuses and subjects this year. Recently, another targeted safety verification held by the Rosatom State corporation started, while a comprehensive commission inspection is to be held by the Rostekhnadzor headquarters is scheduled early September.