The Novovoronezh plant

The operator of Russia's Novovoronezh nuclear power plant has shown a commitment to enhancing operational safety, an International Atomic Energy Agency mission team has concluded.

The aim of IAEA Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) missions is to assess safety performance against IAEA safety standards, highlight areas of good practice and propose improvements.

Requested by the Russian government, an OSART mission was conducted from 13 to 30 January. The team was composed of seven experts from Belarus, Brazil, China, Iran and South Africa, as well as four IAEA staff members and an observer from Russia. The team reviewed operating practices in units 4 and 6 of the Novovoronezh plant in the areas of leadership and management for safety, training and qualification, operations, maintenance, technical support, radiation protection, chemistry and accident management. An OSART mission was previously completed for unit 5 in 2015.

The Novovoronezh plant is located in the Voronezh region, about 600 kilometres south of Moscow. It is owned by state nuclear corporation Rosatom and operated by Novovoronezh NPP, a subsidiary of the Rosenergoatom Joint Stock Company. The plant consists of seven units. Units 1, 2 and 3 are permanently shut down and under decommissioning. Units 4, 5, 6 and 7 are operating. All units are pressurised water reactors (VVERs); units 4 and 5 are VVER-440 and VVER-1000, respectively. Units 6 and 7 are both VVER-1200.

Rosatom noted the OSART mission was unique in that, "for the first time, it was carried out at two Russian power units at once - unit 4 and unit 6 with reactors of different generations of VVER - 440 and 1200".

"The OSART team observed that the staff at the plant are knowledgeable and professional and are committed to improving the operational safety and reliability of the plant," the IAEA said.

The team identified one good practice to be shared with the nuclear industry globally: the main control room operators at the plant have access to an electronic display for real-time indication of hydrogen ignition risk inside the containment building in the case of a severe accident.

The mission also provided some suggestions to further improve safety, including that the plant should consider enhancing: the consistent use of tools to minimise human error; the quality of maintenance activities; and the arrangements for the monitoring and reporting of equipment condition and material deficiencies to ensure that any degradation is identified and reported.

"We are grateful to the international experts of the IAEA for conducting a comprehensive inspection at two power units of the Novovoronezh NPP – unit 4 and unit 6," said Novovoronezh Plant Director Vladimir Povarov. "This is a reputable team with over 282-years combined operational experience in the nuclear power industry.

"Three of the four Novovoronezh NPP power units in operation have already successfully undertaken an IAEA international peer review. And we plan for power unit 7 to be subjected to this procedure in the future."

A draft copy of the mission's report has been provided to the plant management, and following any factual comments provided, the final copy will be submitted to the Russian government within three months.