September 2000 Highlight

Armenia Bulgaria Czech Republic Hungary

Kazakhstan Lithuania Russia Slovakia

Ukraine United States Cross-Cutting Activities Planned Activities

Highlight

Physical security upgrades at Khmelnytskyy dedicated in ceremony

In early September, Khmelnytskyy nuclear power plant (NPP) hosted a dedication ceremony to celebrate completion of physical security upgrades for Unit 1. The upgraded equipment, procedures, and personnel training will contribute significantly over the long term to the overall level of plant safety for Khmelnytskyy workers, the general public, and all of Ukraine.

Upgraded equipment and other security features now in place for Khmelnytskyy Unit 1 include

• access control to internal vital areas
• a video surveillance and detection subsystem
• physical barriers and guard booths
• an alarm station with its own main computer, self-contained within Unit 1
• maintenance and training procedures for plant staff
• a state-of-the-art database and badging system for personnel identification.

The upgrades are the result of a cooperative nuclear safety improvement project involving Ukraine and the United States. The participating Ukrainian organizations developed the design documentation for the work and organized its endorsement by Ukrainian nuclear regulatory officials. The Ukrainian contribution also included cable connections and partial manufacturing and installation of metal structures. Through the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of International Nuclear Safety and Cooperation, the U.S. team contributed financial and technical support for the effort.

Access controls at the general entrance to Khmelnytskyy's Unit 1 reactor building underwent extensive upgrades to improve security. Previously (left photo), both the waist-high turnstile and open-lattice barrier wall were inadequate to meet either Ukrainian or international requirements for such features. In addition, the guard booth was constructed of wood and windowed with ordinary glass panes. The upgraded entrance (right photo) features a state-of-the-art portal metal detector; guard booth with steel walls, steel door, and bulletproof windows; a full-height turnstile activated by a proximity card reader; and a full-height barrier wall. The new barrier wall also offers a guard-activated door to provide access for larger equipment and emergency evacuation.

All upgrades underwent a verification review prior to their implementation. Reviewers checked all subsystems and documentation to ensure that they met all requirements specified for commissioning by Ukrainian and international norms and standards. Reviewers included officials of EnergoAtom, the Ukraine Ministry of Fuel and Energy, and the Nuclear Regulatory Department, as well as the Ukrainian general contractor for the project, Transexpo Corporation, and U.S. project leads from the U.S. Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Following the verification review, EnergoAtom and the Nuclear Regulatory Department formally approved the upgrades.

A set of unguarded heavy doors (left) was all that formerly protected the entrance to the radiological area within Khmelnytskyy's reactor building. The same entrance (right) now is equipped with a proximity card reader linked electronically to the full-height turnstile to control access and personnel barrier walls extending from floor to ceiling. Pictured with the new equipment are reviewers from Khmelnytskyy NPP, Transexpo Corporation, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on their verification walkthrough in early September.

The upgraded subsystems went into operation on a test basis on September 4. Routine operation began on October 15.

Participating in the early September dedication ceremony were the General Director of Khmelnytskyy NPP, the President of EnergoAtom, and U.S. team members from the U.S. Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Representatives of the Ukrainian press and television media also were on hand to cover the dedication.

U.S. Department of Energy project manager Grigory Trosman (left) and EnergoAtom president Yuri Nedashkovsky cut a ceremonial ribbon to dedicate physical security upgrades newly implemented at Khmelnytskyy NPP. Others participating in the ceremony included (background, left to right) Anatoly Boyko, deputy plant manager for physical security, Khmelnytskyy NPP; Andrei Glukhov, project manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Volodymyr Mazover, president, Transexpo Corporation; Vitaly Kokhan, director of physical protection, EnergoAtom; Yuri Kuchmij, head of the physical protection department, Khmelnytskyy NPP; and Volodymyr Sofiuk, plant manager, Khmelnytskyy NPP.

The potential for U.S.-Ukrainian collaboration to enhance the level of physical protection at Ukraine's nuclear power plants first was discussed in 1998 (see August 1998 Activity Report). Those preliminary discussions led to onsite reviews at Zaporizhzhya and Khmelnytskyy NPPs in early 1999 to identify and prioritize areas of need. The cooperative reviews, which involved representatives of EnergoAtom, Ukraine's Ministry of Fuel and Energy, Zaporizhzhya and Khmelnytskyy NPPs, and the U.S. team, provided justification for establishing the two plants as pilot sites and setting up the first project at each-an upgraded system for identifying and badging plant personnel (see March 1999 Activity Report). The reviews also provided the impetus for a U.S. Congress-mandated assessment of physical security issues at nuclear power plants in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine participating in the U.S. Department of Energy's international work to improve the safety of Soviet-designed reactors (see May 1999 Activity Report).

During the dedication ceremony, the Ukrainian officials expressed their satisfaction with the successful completion of the project. They also demonstrated a strong commitment to continue with prioritized security upgrades at Khmelnytskyy Unit 1 and to extend the upgrade projects to Ukraine's other nuclear power plants. Ukrainian and U.S. team members now are discussing additional upgrade work to be done if funding becomes available. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581; Andrei Glukhov, PNNL, 509-375-3961)