OREANDA-NEWS. December 08, 2015. A delegation from Bangladesh visited Russian nuclear facilities to study the specifics of nuclear power plants (NPP) operations and see what steps have been taken regarding the local population. The delegation included representatives of the Bangladesh Ministry of Science and Technology; the Administration of Pabna District (the site of the first NPP in Bangladesh); the Bangladesh Embassy in Russia; and the mass media.

The delegates visited the Moscow office of NIAEP-ASE United Company, the fifth unit of the Novovoronezh NPP and the construction site of its sixth and seventh units. They also discussed the benefits of the location selected for the NPP with the mayor of Novovoronezh and learnt about working with the population at a nuclear information center in Voronezh.  

During their visit to the office of NIAEP-ASE United Company, the delegates familiarized themselves with projects and innovations developed by Rosatom’s engineering division. They also got acquainted with the VVER technology and the principles of building NPPs in countries with a tropical climate, hot temperatures, and high humidity. Vladimir Savushkin, the Senior Vice-President – Director of Moscow Branch, addressed the delegation. “We are aware that to ensure sustainable development of the world nuclear power, it must become open and transparent. Only then will people perceive its advantages and understand what technologies enable safe operation of NPPs,” he said.

A visit to the fifth unit of the Novovoronezh NPP and to the construction site of its sixth and seventh units gave the delegates an opportunity to see the plant’s high standards of safety and operational quality for themselves. The visitors were particularly interested in active and passive safety systems as well as the qualification of employees. In his address, Igor Gusev, the Deputy Chief Engineer for the operation of the fourth stage of the Novovoronezh NPP, pointed out, “In our work, we are guided by international principles devised by the IAEA. A group of international experts, who recently visited the NPP within the framework of OSART’s (the IAEA’s Operational Safety Review Team) mission to evaluate the operational safety of the fifth unit of the Novovoronezh NPP, issued a report confirming the high quality of our operation.”

At the meeting with the mayor of Novovoronezh, the delegates learnt about the joint efforts of the city administration and the management of the plant to improve the standard of living of citizens and employees working at the NPP. The plant is the local economic mainstay and one of the three major taxpayers in the Voronezh Region. “Fifty years of smooth operation are proof that the facility is reliable. We are willing to accommodate new nuclear facilities in the neighborhood. The NPP is the most ecologically clean source of electricity in the Voronezh Region, and we are proud to live nearby. The fact that such a facility has been operating on our land means economic and social benefits both for us and for neighboring areas,” stated Sergey Chistyakov, the mayor of Novovoronezh, at the meeting.

Anwar Hossain, the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, who headed the delegation, noted the high standards of safety, the high qualification of the plant’s personnel and the willingness of Russian nuclear experts to assist their Bengali counterparts. “We are planning to build the first NPP in the country with the help of Russia. Therefore, it is highly important to study all the aspects of NPP operation, including those related to working with the population. We intend to share this knowledge with the public, as we are not only going to erect an NPP safely and confidently. We are going to build an atomic city.”