April - June 2001 Contents Highlights

Armenia Bulgaria Czech Republic Hungary

Kazakhstan Lithuania Russia Slovakia

Ukraine United States Cross-Cutting Activities Planned Activities

Bulgaria

Over a two-week period in May, a U.S. training specialist from Sonalysts Inc. worked with technical and training specialists from the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant on the initial phase of a pilot training program in electrical maintenance. Three working visits are scheduled for this activity. During this visit, the task analysis for the electrical maintenance pilot training program was initiated and materials previously developed by other Soviet-designed reactor sites in the area of electrical maintenance were reviewed. Previously developed training materials will be modified as appropriate for application to the Kozloduy plant. Plans for upcoming working visits also were discussed. As part of the final trip, a pilot implementation of the program will take place. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650; Don Draper, PNNL, 509-372-4079)

Human factors and energy technologies discussed at conference

A two-day conference on "Human Factors and Energy Technologies: Challenges of the 21st Century" was held May 28-29 in Lednika, Bulgaria, and at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. The purpose of the conference was to provide a forum for the exchange of information between individuals working within or having interest in the energy sector of Bulgaria. The conference was dedicated to the fifteenth anniversary of the United Technical College of the Technical University of Sofia and the tenth anniversary of the Kozloduy Training Center.

Participants included trainers, technical specialists, and managers from the Kozloduy nuclear plant and training facility; university lecturers, technical specialists from research institutions, representatives of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and the State Agency of Energy and Energy Resources; and the U.S. firm Human Performance Analysis Corp. The activity focused on assisting in the development of improved training methods and training expertise within Bulgaria and provided a forum for the United States to share information on support provided to the Kozloduy Training Center as well as to obtain information regarding ongoing activities at the training center. Participants made presentations on the topic of human factors and energy technologies and shared information in discussion sessions. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650; Don Draper, PNNL, 509-372-4079)

A two-week working session was held in June at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant to provide simulator instructor training skills to simulator instructors at the Kozloduy Training Center. This two-week training workshop was developed previously for use at both Russian and Ukrainian nuclear plants. Training specialists from the Kozloduy nuclear plant, Russia, and the U.S. firm Sonalysts Inc. provided instruction. Topics covered in the course included professionalism, communications, conflict management, teamwork, observation skills, critiquing, scenario development, and practical exercises. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650; Don Draper, PNNL, 509-372-4079)