Belarusian nuclear industry specialists study Russian fuel rod array integrity control practices

MINSK, 8 November (BelTA) – Specialists of the Belarusian nuclear power plant went to the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant in Russia to study how Russian nuclear industry specialists control nuclear fuel inside a live reactor, BelTA has learned.

The Belarusian specialists were intent on studying the Russian practice of controlling the integrity of fuel rod arrays in a live reactor. They also studied operational parameters of the primary and secondary circuits. The Belarusian specialists visited the main facilities of the sixth unit of the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant.

Eduard Semirenko, Head of the Integrity Control Lab of the Nuclear Safety Department of the state enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, explained: “The VVER-1200 reactor of the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant is exactly the same as ours. We’ve come to learn the local methods of measurements, calculations, and control. These methods rely on cutting-edge R&D and the experience of various types of reactor units.”

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built using a Russian design featuring VVER-1200 reactors near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020. The first batch of nuclear fuel is supposed to be delivered to the nuclear power plant till the end of 2018.