OREANDA-NEWS. The 3rd Turkey-MENA Nuclear Industry Congress, an international congress on nuclear industry in Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa, took place on 15-16 April in Istanbul.

Mr. A. Renev, Head of Technical Review of Technical Department, Rusatom Overseas JSC, delivered a speech devoted to VVER safety analysis. Mr. Renev described VVER evolution starting from the first-of-the kind V-210 to VVER-1200, improved performances of which have put this reactor type in the range of the world safest reactors. In particular, Russian engineers and designers have implemented the concept of hybrid safety system combining active and passive systems for VVER-1200, which ensures required functions both in the case of loss-of-offsite-power and loss of emergency power supply, thus providing for the plant off-grid operation.

Another advantage is a system for retaining the molten core material, the so-called core catcher that is designed to retain the molten core material in the case it passes outside the vessel. For the first time such catchers were installed at the operating units of Tianwan NPP (China) in 2007, and nowadays they are installed with each project implemented by ROSATOM both in Russia and abroad. According to the Russian and international standards, the Russian NPP design covers all kinds of external, nature and man-induced impacts - seismic loads, floods, external explosions, hurricanes, whirlwinds, tornados and even a crash of a heavy aircraft up to 400 tons.

Mr. А. Renev pointed out that VVERs are in full compliance with all post-Fukushima safety requirements, and, what is equally important, were in compliance with such requirements before the NPP Fukushima accident.   

Also as part of the business program, a panel discussion took place which was devoted to NPP financing issues. At the discussion, Mr. K. Vyazovskyi, Investment Director of Rusatom Overseas JSC, presented the most efficient financing models applied by ROSATOM in implementing its overseas projects.  

Turkey-MENA Nuclear Congress is a significant event for the nuclear industry of the region drawing major representatives of the nuclear industry of Turkey and the Middle East for the third year. This year among the Congress attendees were Mr. Jacques Regaldo, Chairman of WANO, Prof. Kamal J. Araj, Vice Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, officials from the Ministry of Energy and National Nuclear Regulator of Turkey, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, representatives of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, AREVA, GE-Hitachi and other nuclear market players of the region.