Russia's Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant Ahead In Safety

From R.Ravichandran MOSCOW, June 24 (Bernama) -- While nuclear power generation has always been viewed with skepticism when comes to safety, Russia's Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has set a whole new standard in safety and efficiency in harnessing atomic energy. Gone were the days of the then Soviet Union's Chernobyl and Japan's Fukushima disasters, the Novovoronezh NPP in Voronezh Oblast, central Russia, has literally set the global standards in safety and management aspects of nuclear reactors. A recent media tour to Novovoronezh NPP, located about 565km from Moscow, highlighted that with proper planning, latest technology and high safety standards, nuclear energy could serve as a reliable, clean and safe long term option in generating power. This writer was with the media group that was invited there recently in conjunction with the 7th ATOMEXPO International Nuclear Energy Forum organised by the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation (Rosatom) in Moscow. The Novovoronezh NPP is where the world's first commercial water-cooled and water-moderated (VVER) reactor technology, generating 12,500 Gwh energy annually, was developed. In 2013, Novovoronezh NPP was recognised as "The best NPP in Russia", and the best in safety culture. It was also recognised as the best industrial entreprise in the Voronezh region. THE NPP IS A COLOSSAL POWER PRODUCER According to JSC Concern Rosenergoatom (the Electric Power Division of Rosatom), the NPP is the largest electric power generating facility in the Novovoronezh region. It fulfills 85 per cent of the Novovoronezh region's electric power demand and supplies power to some 2.3 million residents of the Central Black-Soil Region and to 21 large enterprises. This writer learnt that the Novovoronezh Unit 1 was commissioned way back on 30 Sept 1964, marking the beginning of nuclear power development history not only in the then Soviet Union but also in several Eastern and Central European countries during the Cold War Era. In total, five power units with VVER reactors were built and commissioned at Novovoronezh site, with Unit 1 permanently decommissioned after 20 years of operation followed with Unit 2 in 1990. Currently the remaining three power units are operating at the site with another two new ones being built nearby under the Novovoronezh NPP-2 programme. NOVOVORONEZH NPP-2 A TESTAMENT TO IMPROVING NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY The Novovoronezh NPP-2 under construction now is based on AES-2006 generation "3+" design, meeting all post-Fukushima safety requirements. The main specific feature of AES-2006 design is a unique combination of active and passive safety systems, making the plant resistant to external and internal impacts. Interestingly, the design is suitable for sites with nine different types of beddings, ranging from rock to soft ground. Russian nuclear energy industry sees that since it is a flexible design, the same may be constructed in newcomer countries, including South East Asian countries. The design also prevents release of radioactive products to the environment while the passive safety systems can operate even in case of loss of all power sources and are capable to perform all critical safety functions without active systems and operator interference. ARE THEY REALLY SAFE? Vladimir P.Povarov, the Deputy Director General-Director of JSC Concern Rosenergoatom Novovoronezh NPP said that following the radiation fallout from Japan's Fukushima Daichi plant in 2012 after an earthquake, additional safety measures have been put in place in all nuclear power plants in Russia to prevent such incident. The Unit 5 reactor modernisation work also took into account the post-Fukushima scenario, and in particular seismic resistance calculation was made for civil structures and components, and the industrial anti-seismic protection system. In case of beyond-design-basic accident, mobile pump stations will be used to supply water to steam generators and diesel-generator plants are provided for accident mitigation. According to Povarov with the modernisation, this unit's life extension was assured between 25-30 years. Today there are 34 reactors operating at 10 nuclear power plants in Russia. Nine reactors are under construction in Russia now. Russian NPPs produce about 17 percent of the country's domestic electricity. In 2014, Russian NPPs set a new record in the generation of electricity when 180.5 billion kWh were generated. Rosatom says that such output became possible due to a significant increase in the efficiency of repairs at power units. Over the recent years, domestic nuclear power has yet to suffer from any safety issues that exceeded Level 1 INES (International Nuclear Event Scale). Events of INES Level 1 or 0 don’t pose any danger to personnel, inhabitants of the area, or the environment. The same for Russian design NPP units with VVER reactors operating in the rest of the world. A senior official at the environmental protection department of Novovoronezh NPP said that the power plant has good record in environmental protection including monitoring of the quality of the water from nearby Don River. "NPP is regularly checked by the public prosecutor office to ensure no violations of its activities, she said adding that to monitor the system of environmental management, internal audits are regularly conducted. ------------------------------------------------------------------- SIDE BAR NOVOVORONEZH NPP'S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Another interesting aspect of Novovoronezh NPP is its corporate social responsibility. As one of Russia's leading power producer it has made significant investments in the infrastructure in Novovoronezh. The company's contribution includes renovation of school gyms and building stadiums for schools and carrying out educational, culture, sports, arts as well as environmental protection programmes. Novovoronezh NPP believes that the people is the main asset, thus money invested in the city development will come back in the form of highly committed employees who will stay there and contribute to the progress of the NPPs. -- BERNAMA