Belarusian nuclear power plant: from safe construction today to safe operation tomorrow
Belarusian nuclear station equipment delivered on schedule
Equipment required to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant is delivered exactly on schedule, said Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, during the press conference arranged by BelTA on 11 March.
“Equipment is delivered exactly on schedule and the schedule is tied with the construction and installation schedule. We don’t need the equipment in advance and certainly we don’t need the equipment with delays,” stressed the executive.
According to Anatoly Bondar, in H2 2015 the construction site will start receiving the main equipment of the reactor unit of the first power-generating unit. For instance, they intend to receive the reactor shell and a steam generator in Q4 2015.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.
Belarusian nuclear station’s second unit to get core catcher installed by April
“The installation is supposed to end in Q1 2015 in accordance with the schedule. I think we will not run into any delays,” he remarked.
Andrei Barkun, Deputy Director General, Head of the Capital Construction Office of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, pointed out that the installation of the core catcher is a lengthy process that takes time, involves several stages and lasts about one year in total.
The core catcher is a specialized system designed to protect nuclear power plants. The device will prevent dangerous radioactive elements from leaking out of the shell even in the direst of emergencies.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.
Belarusian nuclear station equipment delivered from Ukraine without issues
Equipment for the Belarusian nuclear power plant is delivered from Ukraine without any issues, said Andrei Barkun, Deputy Director General, Head of the Capital Construction Office of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, during the press conference arranged by BelTA on 11 March.
He specified that some equipment is manufactured in Ukraine as part of the contract with the company Power Machines, including a ventilating plant, condensing electric pumps. “They are manufactured on schedule. The deliveries are planned within the established timeframe. We have received no word from the general contractor that the deliveries may fail,” noted Andrei Barkun.
The executive also added that intermediate parts to make equipment for the Belarusian nuclear power plant, including the reactor shell, are made in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. They were delivered to Volgodonsk last year for consequent manufacturing. The general contractor also cooperates with the Zaporozhye-based transformer manufacturer Zaporozhtransformator. The enterprise is expected to deliver the equipment from May 2015 through November 2016.
Nevertheless, Andrei Barkun made it clear that if an unforeseen situation occurs in Ukraine, Russian factories will be able to manufacture the necessary parts.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.
Barkun: BelNPP construction unaffected by Russian ruble devaluation
The devaluation of the Russian ruble will not affect the construction schedule of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP),said Andrei Barkun, Deputy Director General, Head of the Capital Construction Office of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, during the press conference arranged by BelTA on 11 March.
"Today the work is on. It did not stop, and we are on schedule," said Andrei Barkun.
The financing of the construction of the nuclear power plant is rhythmic. When asked whether the construction costs may turn out higher, he replied: "Prices in the contract are fixed in U.S. dollars. The Russian loan is denominated in U.S. dollars too. According to the contract, the cost of works and equipment is defined in the Russian rubles and then transferred into U.S. dollars every month according to the exchange rate at the end of a month".
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.
Belarusian nuclear station at 15% investment mark
About 15% of the total intended volume of investments has been spent as part of the project to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant, said Andrei Barkun, Deputy Director General, Head of the Capital Construction Office of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, during the press conference arranged by BelTA on 11 March.
“In money terms about 15% of the total volume of investments or $1.29 billion has been utilized since the beginning of the project,” Andrei Barkun remarked.
BelTA reported earlier that the total cost of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is supposed to be at most $11 billion. The Belarusian and Russian governments have signed an agreement on a loan to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The loan is meant to cover 90% of the cost of all the operations required to build the power plant.
Andrei Barkun specified that the third stage of the project is now in progress at the Ostrovets construction site. The stage involves the bulk of the construction operations. “We are now working on 71 facilities of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. In accordance with the overall cost estimation a total of 128 facilities of varying importance will be built,” he added. In 2015 construction and installation operations will be carried out at 102 primary and auxiliary facilities of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. There are plans to install 50,000 tonnes of reinforcement bars and reinforcing goods and pour 360,000m3 of concrete this year.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.
The construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant proceeds in full compliance with the master schedule specified by the general contract of 18 July 2012. As much as 100% of the construction and installation operations intended to be completed in 2014 have been fulfilled. Last year saw 40,000 tonnes of reinforcement bars installed (32.9% of the total volume) and 342,200m3 of concrete poured (31.7%).
Three to four years to train supervisors for Belarusian nuclear power plant
Three to four years is needed to train supervisors of a nuclear power plant, said Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, during the press conference arranged by BelTA on 11 March.
“For now we invite foreign specialists in order to utilize their experience to train our own personnel later. For instance, it takes 3-4 years to train the personnel to man the main control room using a dedicated standard program. If we borrow specialists in employ of Belarusian power plants, we will be able to rely on the experience of invited foreign specialists to train our own ones before the second power-generating unit goes online,” noted Anatoly Bondar.
He said they primarily invite specialists from Russia because the design the project to build the Belarusian nuclear power plant utilizes is a Russian one and Russian specialists have experience of operating similar power-generating units.
Anatoly Bondar also stated that Ukrainian nuclear industry specialists are also considered for operating the Belarusian nuclear power plant. He reminded that nuclear energy accounts for 48% of Ukraine's energy system. “So we have a neighbor that pays close attention to nuclear energy. The rating of our nuclear power plant in the eyes of Ukrainian specialists is very high. The number of people vying for highly qualified personnel jobs varies from three to five people per job opening. But those are only some of the job openings. And only in the first power-generating unit. We will train Belarusian personnel for the second one,” stressed the Chief Engineer.
Speaking about specialists employed by the Ignalina nuclear power plant, Anatoly Bondar stressed that there are no specific prohibitions but they are experienced in operating the previous generation of reactors. “As far as the design, the principle of operation, all the reactivity effects are concerned, we have totally different reactors. The development of the global nuclear energy industry proceeds along this path,” he added. Therefore, specialists experienced in operating the same type of reactors will be preferred.
IAEA mission to visit Belarus in H1 2015
The mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans its regular visit to Belarus in the first half of 2015, Anatoly Bondar, Chief Engineer of the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, said during the press conference hosted by BelTA on 11 March.
“The IAEA regular mission is scheduled for the first half of the year. Soon we will welcome specialists of the international agency from the department of guarantees on the exchange of experience and the movement of nuclear material,” he said.
In his words, Belarus has established constructive and robust cooperation with the IAEA at the level of its Energy Ministry, Gosatomnadzor, and the enterprise Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant as the operating company. “We regularly cooperate through meetings, checks and seminars. The IAEA representatives visit the Ostrovets construction site once in three months to discuss various issues, including the personnel training,” Anatoly Bondar said.
The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The power plant will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. In line with the general contract for building the nuclear power plant the first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.