OREANDA-NEWS. Conference “Fire Safety of NPP: Ways of Development” took place in Moscow on Mar 27.

The managers of Rosenergoatom Concern, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy, the Emergency Ministry, the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Control (Rostekhnadzor), the directors of nuclear companies, the chief engineers of nuclear power plants discussed problems of fire safety of NPPs. They analyzed the results of the program to enhance NPP fire safety in 2001–2007 and outlined ways to carry out similar programs in 2008–2012.

Acting Head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy Ivan Kamenskikh and Chief Fire Inspector of Russia opened the meeting.

Kamenskikh said that it was a very important meeting.

Technical Director of Rosenergoatom Concern Nikolay Sorokin said that Rosenergoatom’s NPPs are steadily increasing their production in line with the federal development program:

“We are planning to start launching no less than two reactors a year. Today, our NPPs produce 16% of total electricity in Russia, 34% in Central Russia, 37% in North-Western Russia.”

The conferees heard reports by representatives of Rosenergoaom, Emegreny Ministry and Rostekhnadzor, the chief engineers of REA NPPs and the chief state fire security inspectors of Russia.

The reporters pointed out that big work has been done in the last six years to improve the fire safety of the Russian nuclear power plants with over 2bln RUR spent on it. As a result, the fire rate at the plants is steadily decreasing.

The director of the supervisory department of the Emergency Ministry of Russia Yuri Deshyovykh said that all the NPPs carry out timely measures to ensure fire safety. In 2007 the number of violations of the fire safety rules dropped by 1/3.

The deputy head of the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Control Sergey Adamchik told the audience about the structure and the work of Rostekhnadzor. He said that they issue licenses only after consulting with their colleagues from the fire safety inspection of the Emergency Ministry. If the latter say that a facility is not sufficiently safe, Rostekhnadzor does not issue license. Adamchik said that Rostekhnadzor is planning to reduce the length of licensing procedure and to prolong the duration of a license to 10 years, at shortest. But requirements will be toughened.