October 2000 Contents Highlights

Armenia Bulgaria Czech Republic Hungary

Kazakhstan Lithuania Russia Slovakia

Ukraine United States Cross-Cutting Activities Planned Activities

Russia

International Nuclear Safety Program Coordinating Committee meets to discuss future activities

Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory representing the International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP) participated in the bi-annual Coordinating Committee meetings in Moscow on October 19 and 20. Representatives from Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (MinAtom), Rosenergoatom, and other industry organizations were involved in discussions on the scope of INSP activities related to FY 2001 authorized funding. (Rich Reister, DOE, 301-903-0234; Dan Couch, PNNL, 509-372-6415)

U.S. and Russian specialists determine training needs at Rostov

In early October, representatives from Rosenergoatom, the Russian Institute for Nuclear Power Plant Operations (VNIIAES), Rostov and Balakovo NPPs, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory met to discuss and define future work for a new project supporting development of the training program for operators at Rostov.

The U.S. participants provided a general description of past training activities performed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's cooperative safety work and answered questions about the possible activities available to Rostov NPP. They also explained training activities conducted at Balakovo NPP in Russia and Khmelnytskyy NPP in Ukraine and ongoing activities to transfer those programs to other nuclear power plants. Participants from Rostov described their current training department organization and staffing. Currently, Rostov NPP has 16 training instructors and is authorized to have as many as 32. Individuals from other departments have been chosen to fill some of the open positions but will not be available to transfer from their current positions until after the new plant's start-up. The current training staff received instructor training from the Novovoronezh Training Center.

A tour was arranged to familiarize the U.S. participants with the status of training facilities and equipment currently available to the Rostov training staff. Meeting participants also discussed a request from Rostov representatives for a full-scale control room simulator to assist in operator training and to improve the safety culture at the plant. The representatives from Rostov will coordinate their request for the simulator with the MinAtom and Rosenergoatom for consideration at the next U.S./Russian Coordinating Committee meeting. The U.S. representatives also recommended that Rostov consider a cost-shared approach similar to that followed in the full-scope simulator projects conducted previously at Kola and Kalinin NPPs. The work proposed for Rostov NPP continues the U.S. effort to develop improved training methods and training expertise within Russia. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650; Don Draper, PNNL, 509-372-4079)

Manufacture and factory acceptance tests completed for prototype valves

Chekhov, a Russian valve manufacturing company, has completed the manufacture of a main steam isolation valve and a steam generator relief valve. Prior to manufacture of these two prototype valves, the U.S. company Target Rock reviewed the valve designs and concluded that they would meet the internationally accepted standards of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Target Rock also provided recommendations to improve the ease of fabrication and operability of the valves. In November, the valves will be tested at the Russian Kashira facility to qualify the designs for use in future upgrades to Russian nuclear power plants. Burns & Roe Enterprises, Inc., is the principal contractor for this activity to transfer valve manufacturing technology to Russian enterprises. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-6899; Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)