On October 25-26, a delegation of Biblis NPP (Germany) led by Mr. Horst Kemmeter, Director of the plant, was at Balakovo NPP with a visit. The meeting of the management of two nuclear power plants was held as part of the program TWINNING of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). TWINNING is an exchange of best practices between professionals of nuclear power plants directly at places for improving the operational reliability and safety.
In his opening speech Viktor Ignatov, Director of Balakovo NPP, stressed the importance of cooperation with Biblis NPP, which had been lasting for more than 20 years: “Thanks to your help, the quality system, occupational health and safety and engineering service of our plant reached the more qualitative level both technically and organizationally. The support maintained today in the field of safety culture will allow the nuclear power plant operating more reliably.”

Managers of the Russian and German NPPs informed each other and colleagues about the situation at the nuclear power plants. It is known that the German authorities made a decision to shut down all nuclear power plants of the country till 2022, and the operation of some nuclear power plants, including Biblis NPP, has already been frozen. According to Mr. Horst Kemmeter, the priority tasks for the plant, running in a non-operating mode, are safe operation of units, occupational health and safety of the personnel, optimization of processes of units’ decommissioning “according to their status and economic aspects”. Horst Kemmeter told about the strategy and planning of the process of taking the equipment out of commission, its removal and disposal, as well as nuclear fuel utilization.

Balakovo specialists, in their turn, acquainted the guests with the measures carried out at the plant after Fukushima events, and the outcome of WANO peer review of 2011.

“Positive changes, which took place at Balakovo NPP since my last visit, and it was in 2009, can not be ignored,” considers Director of Biblis NPP, Horst Kemmeter. “In July of this year I have become a head of the plant Biblis, and for me it was a great honor and internal desire to visit the plant-partner, with which we have two decades of cooperation. We will continue maintaining our relationship, despite the different modes of operation of our plants. The main topic, which we will continue considering is development and maintaining of the safety culture.”