Within the framework of the cooperation program between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Rosatom State Corporation, the representatives from 20 countries have made the scientific visit to the site of Leningrad NPP’s new power units. These countries either have taken the path of national nuclear energy development or plan to develop their nuclear power projects.
A total of six groups of foreign guests are scheduled to visit the building of the VVER-1200 units within a month and a half. They will receive all the required information on the design features and performance characteristics of the most advanced Russian power unit.
Marina Lobyntseva, the Deputy Director of the International Training Centre of the Rosatom Central Institute for Continuing Education and Training, “Representatives of various government departments participate in the scientific visit. They will form the country's position regarding the construction of power generation facilities at the national level; and thus, it’s them, who will decide what type of energy to develop. The group will consist of the participants from Turkey, Jordan and Egypt, who have already made their decision, as well as the experts from France, Finland and Belarus, where power units with VVER-1200 reactors are also being built.”
At the construction site, the guests have asked a large number of questions about the future operation of the power unit, its production and economic performance indicators, and the organization of environmental control at the territory of the NPP.
David Frank Tersigny, the representative of the Electricite de France (EDF), France, “This is my first visit to Russia, and in particular to a Russian nuclear power plant. Before this, for a long time I have worked in nuclear energy industry; and I find Leningrad NPP interesting from a point of view of an engineer. I wanted to know how the project is being implemented. I am impressed with what has been achieved here, and how safe the construction and installation works are. As for the additional security systems of the power unit itself, I am sure that this is one of the safest projects. The same generation of reactors is now being built in France, although our state also uses other sources of renewable energy.”
The foreign guests have visited the power unit in the ‘hottest’ period. The Unit now enters to the finish line, all of its main and auxiliary equipment and technological systems are passing a series of tests at the hot phase in order to confirm the reliability and safety of the Unit’s operation at least for the next 50 years.
Georgiy Shpuntov, the Head of the educational and methodological support department of the Belarusian NPP training centre, “I was here exactly one year ago, and I now see that the turbine house has changed: the turbine generating unit is fully assembled, tested at a shaft-turning unit, and filled with vacuum. I previously worked a lot with electrical equipment, and so I immediately found many interesting ideas associated with the electrical part of the project. First of all, this is the equipment itself. The Unit’s power transformer also has Russian origins, as well as the majority (more than 80%) of the entire Unit’s equipment. This shows a powerful scientific and technical basis for the further development of nuclear energy industry in Russia.”
The Leningrad NPP is an affiliate company for Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is based in the city of Sosnovy Bor, 40 km to the west from Saint Petersburg at the Gulf of Finland shore. The NPP exploits 4 power blocks with the electric capacity of 1000 megawatt each. 1,2 VVER-1200 power blocks are being constructed. Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC is the owner and developer of the project. Holding TITAN-2 is the primary contractor. ATOMPROEKT is the general designer.