The safety of Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is based on a constantly controlled system of barriers designed to prevent release of radiation into the environment.

When fuel element cladding is not hermetic gas produced by the uranium fusion inside goes outside into the water of the controlled circulation circuit. Smolensk NPP has a system for controlling the quality of fuel elements by monitoring the radiation of the steam-water mixture in each channel.

If the system detects defected fuel elements they are replaced by new ones.

The state of assembly channels is controlled as to the content of the nitrogen-helium mixture pumped through the reactor via holes in the graphite rods and channels. The nitrogen-helium mixture has very low thermal capacity: despite being very hot when going out of the reactor it cools down very quickly. If an assembly channel is damaged, the mixture gets mixed with steam, its thermal capacity rises and it fails to cool down as quickly as it should. As a result, the temperature of reactor gets abnormally high.

The assembly channel control system quickly detects damages and regulates the humidity of the nitrogen-helium mixture. Damaged channels are replaced during the stoppage of the reactor.

The plant has a special cooling system for regulating the temperature of the whole structure. The technical state of the plant is monitored by Skala centralized control system.

Besides measuring flow, temperature, pressure, level, the system controls the capacity of assembly channels, the content of steam in channels and other design parameters. The system immediately signals about any detected problem.

Power distribution in the reactor is controlled by a special system having 130 sensors installed in fuel assemblies and 12 sensors installed in special channels inside the circuit for cooling the rods of the control and protection system.

The key prerequisite of safety is personnel training.

In 1998 Smolensk NPP adopted a declaration saying that the safety of the plant is duty of each employee from worker up to manager. "If we realize this, we will prevent new Chernobyls," says the declaration.

The key factor of the safety of a plant is people who work there, who have intellect and will, who are able to formulate goals and achieve them, to plan their work and foresee its results. The education level of the staff of Smolensk NPP is very high. In the last year the plant employed lots of young specialists – graduates of the most prestigious universities of Russia. In order to consolidate its staff, the plant has established a number of public organizations:

The plant’s care for its workers pays off: no single accident has been recorded at the plant so far.

In order to enhance its safety, the plant is constantly modernizing and re-equipping its units. The plant has upgraded its systems of emergency cooling, control and protection and centralized control and emergency steam removal.  

In 2000 Smolensk NPP overhauled its 1st unit, in 2002 – the 2 nd one. The plant has introduced uranium-erbium fuel for its reactor core and a new safety system.

Experts say that today Russian nuclear power plants are safer their French, American and Canadian counterparts. Only Japanese NPPs are still safer than ours.

In the last years Smolensk NPP has done really huge work to enhance its efficiency and safety. All of its units have modern emergency response systems.

Smolensk NPP gives top priority to safety and fully complies with the requirements of the federal law "On the Use of Nuclear Energy," other nuclear safety rules and standards of the Russian Federation as well as with the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Independent experts of ACCET system (Analysis of Consequences and Causes of Events Tool) have repeatedly visited the plant to see if it complies with the IAEA Safety Standards. All of them have confirmed the high safety of the plant. Smolensk NPP is very safe: in fact, it is safer than many nuclear power plants worldwide.

The key goal of a nuclear power plant is to reduce the risk of incidents that may have negative effect on the personnel and the environment. All the measures provided for by the safety enhancement concept of "Rosenergoatom" Concern are aimed at reducing the risk of incidents at the REA NPPs. The safety declaration of Smolensk NPP says that the plant seeks to become the safest NPP in Russia.

And the plant works hard towards this end. All the units have been equipped with modern emergency response systems preventing release of radiation even in case of very serious accidents, such as break of the pipes of the reactor cooling system. All the equipment of the reactor cooling system is placed in hermetic boxes made of reinforced concrete and able to stand pressure of 4.5 gms/cm2. The emergency response system has a special steam condenser with 3000 m2 of water. Smolensk NPP has special systems that will be able to remove heat from the reactor even in case of the plant’s complete deenergization.