OREANDA-NEWS. August 04, 2010. “Mashinostroitelnyi Zavod” OJSC (Mechanical Engineering Works) (affiliate of TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom State Corporation, town of Elektrostal) was visited by delegation of auditors from the Czech Republic, which included representatives from CEZ, a.s., ALTA, a.s., and Dukovany NPP. The Czech experts have conducted an audit of the works’ Quality Management System (QMS) and have assessed the enterprise as the nuclear fuel supplier for the Czech NPPs.

According to Zelmira Martinakova, specialist of the Duckovany NPP, the works' representatives submitted full information as regards execution of the order for the Dukovany NPP and several technological areas. “We had an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the production, acceptance process of the products for the Dukovany and Temelin NPPs; to review the documentation for the Fuel Tablets Quality assurance System”, noted Z. Martinakova.

In return, Svetlana Levchenko, chief of the Quality Management System and Ecology Department of “MSZ” OJSC, pointed out: “This is an ordinary working process for us. The documentation is kept updated. Customers and consumers visit us in order to make sure that the QMS is operational and is maintained on the required level”.

Brief account: The representatives of the Czech nuclear fuel consumer conduct similar audit once in three years. TVEL OJSC won the tender on nuclear fuel supply to the Dukovany NPP in 2001. The contract is valid until 2018. Beginning with 2003 TVEL Corporation supplies the Dukovany NPP with modified fuel, which allowed conversion from a three-year fuel campaign to a five-year campaign.

The contract for supply of fuel for two units of the Temelin NPP was signed by the representatives of CEZ Group, the Czech generating company, and TVEL OJSC in May, 2006 for the period of 10 years. According to this contract, TVEL shall deliver about 400 tons of fuel in total over this period. The first batch of fuel was delivered to the Temelin NPP in December, 2009.