A delegation of Uzbekistan visits Novovoronezh NPP

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A delegation of Uzbekistan consisting of representatives of deputies, the Ministry of Justice and the media visited the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant (NPP), on 12-14 December 2018, the power unit No. 6 of which is similar to those, which will be built at the future NPP in Uzbekistan.

The trip, organized by Rosatom State Corporation with the assistance of Uzatom Agency, was an opportunity to see firsthand the deputies, lawyers and journalists in modern safe and efficient technologies to serve the peaceful atom for energy supply of the population and economy.

The modern sixth power unit of the Novovoronezh NPP was commissioned in February 2017. Preparations for the launch of power unit No. 7 are also underway. These are power units of the new generation “3+”, with the VVER-1200 reactor installation reference (similar) that will be built using Russian technologies at the first Uzbek nuclear power plant, for the construction of which today the site is being selected in the country .

Interestingly, the Novovoronezh NPP, the first power unit of which was introduced back in 1964, also became the first industrial nuclear power plant in Russia. It became the basis for emergence of the city of Novovoronezh, which is located 3.5 km from the nuclear power plant and is a cozy home for the specialists of the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant and members of their families.

The delegation from Uzbekistan was given the opportunity to get directly acquainted not only with the activities of the NPP, but also with the Training Center for training and retraining of specialists working at the station, the Atomic Energy Information Center, the Laboratory of External Radiation Control of NPPs, the city district of Novovoronezh and deputies of the Novovoronezh City Council.

In the course of familiarization with the infrastructure of the satellite city, which is Novovoronezh, the compact city surprised with its cleanliness even in bad weather and slushy December days.

Interestingly, nuclear power plants - the largest producer of electrical energy in the Voronezh region - also almost completely meet the needs of the city of Novovoronezh in heat. As for the main function of the nuclear power plant, energy supply, it provides about 85% of the Voronezh Region’s need for electricity, including more than 20 large enterprises and about 2.3 million people in the Central Black Earth region.

All power units of the Novovoronezh NPP are water-cooled power reactors (VVER). Power units were commissioned in different years and today, the first two power units that have exhausted their service have been stopped and work is underway to prepare for the first to be taken out of service, and the second to be modernized. At the end of 2016, unit No. 3 was shut down for decommissioning, which is planned to be converted into a practical training ground for training specialists.

Power units number 6 and 7, the same as will be installed at the nuclear power plants of Uzbekistan, today are the most powerful in the nuclear power industry of the Russian Federation. When creating them, the lessons of Fukushima NPP in Japan were taken into account. First of all, it concerns safety. Thus, these units are provided with additional passive safety systems that do not require the intervention of station personnel in the event of an emergency. The new system eliminates failures associated with the unreliability of software.

The already operating and running power unit No. 6 was built according to the “NPP-2006” project with the VVER-1200 reactor installation with the installed electrical capacity of 1200 megawatts. It belongs to atomic units of the “3+” generation with improved technical and economic indicators that meet the latest requirements of reliability, environmental safety and security in any emergency situations, as well as when operating in earthquake-prone areas designed for an 8–9 point system and in climatic conditions with air temperature from -37 ° C to +47 ° C.

The Uzbek delegation familiarized themselves with power unite No. 6 and received answers to theor questions. Also, explanations were given on the applicable legislative and regulatory frameworks, organization of monitoring of the state of the environment and radiation safety, radioactive waste disposal, permitting procedures for the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, and especially the issuance of permits for personnel to work at nuclear power plants.

The dialogue gave the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the features and capabilities of the “3+” generation reactors and more and more to make sure that Uzbekistan made the right choice in favor of Russian technologies.

For two busy days, the delegation also managed to visit Voronezh, a historic and modern city at the same time, to get acquainted with the possibilities of the Atomic Energy Information Center (ICAE) located here. This unique Center will be described in detail in the materials of media representatives who have been fascinated by the original capabilities of this organization in presenting a wide variety of information about peaceful nuclear energy.

Another interesting event of the trip was an acquaintance with the Training Center of Novovoronezh NPP, which can be called a training camp. It collected all sorts of equipment used in various parts of this nuclear power plant, and an individual plan is prepared for each student taking into account his basic knowledge and accumulated experience. Thus, such specialists are being prepared for NPPs who, not only know all the equipment and technologies available here in their own direction, but are constantly ready to learn further. Without this, in such a high-tech field as nuclear energy, one simply does not become a sought-after specialist who, while expanding his knowledge and skills, is constantly moving forward, including along the career ladder. NPPs are not just a source of stable energy supply. This is the place where human characters are forged, destinies are created and the constant development of scientific, engineering thought and technology is underway.

The trip was also a good opportunity to get acquainted with the legislative framework for the operation and development of nuclear energy. During the visit, the delegation members received not only knowledge from professionals in the field of nuclear energy, but also a real incentive to constantly expand their knowledge in the field, which is beginning to fully develop on the land of Uzbekistan with the construction of the first nuclear power plant.