OREANDA-NEWS. On July 16-26, 2007 a group of personnel training executives of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant visited Volgodonsk NPP on the recommendation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported the press-centre of Volgodonsk NPP.

The deputy chief engineer of the plant Samvel Movsissyan shared his   impressions of the visit in an interview to a correspondent of the Energy of Atom newspaper:

- Mr. Movsissyan, what was the objective of your visit to Volgodonsk NPP?

- We have come here to study your positive experience. Presently, we are preparing for an OSART mission – a safety inspection to be made by a group of IAEA experts next year. It will be a real acid test for us and our task is to get well prepared for it. That’s why we are here: you had such an inspection quite recently and you passed excellently. During our visit we have thoroughly examined your experience and methods of personnel training. 

- Do you have problems with personnel?

- No, we have no such problems. We have highly qualified specialists. In Armenia nuclear power engineering is a prestige job and lots of people want to work at NPP. For them NPP means stability: good salary, good career, social security. So, they would be happy to work with us. But we employ only the best.

- Today, Armenia has just one nuclear power plant with just one unit. What is the share of your NPP in the total energy production and what prospects does nuclear energy have in your country? 

- Our only operating unit 2 generates almost 40% of electricity in Armenia. Nuclear energy is the most promising and economical type of energy. Thermal power engineering is much too expensive for us as we have no organic fuel of our own. So, nuclear energy is our only alternative for the moment. In 2016 the 2nd unit of Armenian NPP will have to be stopped. It takes years to build an NPP - we perfectly know that. That’s why we are already beginning to consider ways to replace the existing unit with a unit of new generation.   

- And what do your people think about NPP?

- Our people perfectly remember the “dark” 1990s, when the stoppage of both units of Armenian NPP resulted in six awful years of blackout: we had electricity for just two hours a day, our industry was dying, agriculture deteriorating. In winter things got really unbearable. It was a real hell. And now we have no problems with electricity. Even more, we are exporting it to neighboring Georgia. I think hardly anybody would like to go back into the past. Everybody wants to live well, everybody likes comfort. 

- Let’s go back to your work at Volgodonsk NPP. Have you done all you planned? What specifically were you interested in?

- We have always cooperated with our Russian partners. Some of them have been my colleagues: many of your specialists have worked at Armenian NPP, for example, your Director Mr. Palamarchuk and his deputy Mr. Simagin. In one word, we have never stopped exchanging experience. This time, too, we have learned lots of things we can use in our work. When we go back to Armenia, we are going to share our impressions with our colleagues, to analyze what we have seen and learned and this all will, certainly, help us to further improve our work and to move forward.     

- What specific impressions do you have?

- First of all, I would like to point out that your NPP works like a clock, everything is in order, everybody is responsible and cares for the general cause. You personnel training system is perfect. I have visited many plants and I can say that your personnel training system is one of the best. Few plants have a complex simulator. You know that good training is a guarantee of safety and efficiency and you train really well. So, I wish my colleagues from Volgodonsk NPP many years of stable and safe work and, of course, new plans and projects.

Note
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was built in the Soviet times in the territory of Armenian SSR, near Metsamor. It has two units with WWER-440 reactors. The 1st unit was commissioned in Dec 1976, the 2nd - on Jan 5 1980.

In 1983 the Armenian authorities started building the 3rd and 4th units (also with WWER-440 reactors) but after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 the construction was stopped.

On Dec 7 1988 Northern Armenia (Spitak) was ridden by a devastating earthquake (over 10 points). As many as 26,000 people died. And even though Armenian NPP stood the quake very well and was operating stably, the Council of Minister of Armenian SSR - “considering the general seismic situation in the territory of Armenian SSR” - decreed to stop the 1st unit on Feb 25 and the 2nd on Mar 18 1989. For several years Armenia was plunged into darkness. Blockade and lack of own fuel left no hope for better days and, finally, the authorities of newly independent Armenia decided to restart the 2nd unit. On Nov 5 1995, after six and half years of standby, the unit was restarted.