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Steering and technical committees mark completion of Leningrad Unit 2 ISA project

Mr. Walter Pasedag, U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, and Mr. Sam McKay, an International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP) representative from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), participated in the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 In-depth Safety Assessment (ISA) Project Science and Technology Conference and the Technical Committee meeting in late June and early July.

The Science and Technology Conference, sponsored by the Leningrad plant, was held in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 28. Participants included representatives from the City of Sosnovy Bor, the Russian Federation-Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom), Northwest Region Utility (Russia), DUMA (the Russian Parliament), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and various government and technical representatives from Russia, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, Germany, and the United States. The primary objective of the conference was to mark the completion of the Leningrad Unit 2 ISA Project. Representatives of the Leningrad plant described the five-year project and summarized the principal results of the ISA, which indicate that substantial improvements in safety were achieved as a result of Western and Russian-sponsored plant improvements. Attending project and government representatives provided comments concerning individual policies and perspectives regarding the ISA process and experience. The conference was open to the local media and included a press conference.

The final Leningrad Unit 2 ISA Project Technical Committee meeting was held in St. Petersburg and Helsinki, Finland, June 27 through July 2, 2001. Participants included government and technical representatives from Russia, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, and the United States. The primary objectives of the meeting were to assess the completion status of ISA documentation and to discuss critical safety concerns presented within the ISA summary report. The Committee concluded that the ISA report would be presented as complete; however, it will require near-term corrective action to address any deficiencies identified by the Western reviewers.


The Leningrad ISA Project Science and Technology Conference, sponsored by the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant, marked the completion of the five-year Unit 2 ISA Project. From left: Mr. V. I. Nekrassov, Mayor of Sosnovy Bor; Mr. L. D. Ryabev, First Deputy Minister for Atomic Energy-MINATOM; Mr. V. I. Lebedev, Director of the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant; Dr. L. G. Larsson, Leningrad ISA Steering Committee Chairman and Director of the Swedish International Program; and Mr. V. S. Opekunov, State DUMA representative.

The initial Steering Committee meeting for the Leningrad Unit 1 ISA Project was held in St. Petersburg on June 29. Participants included government and technical representatives from Russia, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, and the United States. The key meeting objective was to provide direction concerning the cost, labor requirements, and timing of the Unit 1 project. The Steering Committee directed the Technical Committee to meet at the earliest opportunity and to develop a list of potential Western support organizations and subtask labor for each Unit 1 production area. In response to this direction, the Technical Committee met July 1 and 2 in Helsinki. Participants included technical representatives from Russia, Sweden, Finland, and the United States. A common approach for assessing the labor and cost of each production area was developed based on input from the PNNL representative. A listing of potential production area sponsors was developed and will be discussed at the next Steering Committee meeting. (Walt Pasedag, NNSA, 301-903-3628; Sam McKay, PNNL, 509-372-4059)