On 30 January 2025, the OSART (Operational Safety Review Team) mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was completed at the Novovoronezh NPP (a branch of Rosenergoatom, Joint-Stock Company, Rosatom Electric Power division). This was the first review conducted at two Russian nuclear power units, Nos. 4 and 6, which have reactors belonging to two different generations: the VVER-440 and the VVER-1200, respectively. The international team consisted of 12 experts from the United Kingdom, France, China, Iran, Brazil, Belarus, and South Africa and approximately 240 experts from Russia including representatives from Novovoronezh NPP, Rosenergoatom, Joint-Stock Company, Rostechnadzor, Rosatom Emergency Service Center, and other companies.
Over the course of three weeks, experts inspected the plant’s compliance with international safety standards and employees’ adherence to safety culture principles. They reviewed nine safety-relevant operation areas of the NPP: “Leadership and Management for Safety”, “Training and Qualification”, “Operation”, “Chemistry”, “Maintenance and Repair”, “Technical Support”, “Operating Experience Tracking”, “Radiation Protection”, and “Accident Management”. The inspectors paid particular attention to the state of the facilities, structures, and equipment. They also reviewed the records and corporate performance indicators, visited workshops, observed the work in progress, and interviewed the staff.
The experts suggested one of the practices, “Accident Management”, as optimal for introduction both at other NPPs in Russia and worldwide. They also offered four recommendations related to further improvement of the plant’s safety and operational performance.
“We are grateful to the international experts from the IAEA, who conducted a comprehensive review of two units at the Novovoronezh NPP. This is a group of professionals with a collective operation experience of 282 years in the nuclear energy sector. The review outcomes are positive. The experts have a high opinion of the units operational safety,” said Vladimir Povarov, NPP Director.
Following the OSART mission, the experts drafted a report to be presented to the Russian government within the next three months.
Reference
OSART stands for the operational safety review team of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The OSART mission is the oldest type of IAEA missions, which has been conducted since 1982. The goal is to help improve the operational safety and introduce the best practices at other NPPs. It should be noted that an OSART mission is usually conducted once during the entire operation period of a power unit. In 2015, the mission was successfully completed at the refurbished unit 5 of the NPP. So far, three out of the four operating units have passed a rigorous international inspection. Similar mission is scheduled to be undertaken at unit 7 in the future.
The Novovoronezh NPP, named after V. A. Sidorenko (a branch of Rosenergoatom, Joint-Stock Company, Rosatom Electric Power division) is the first NPP in Russia with VVERs (water- moderated water-cooled pressure vessel reactors). For six decades of operation, seven VVER units have been constructed and then commissioned at the Novovoronezh site. Four of these units are currently in operation. The design of the power units constructed at the Novovoronezh site has been used not only in Russia, but also abroad.
Gen 3+ Unit 6 with a VVER-1200 of the Novovoronezh NPP is the first world’s new generation nuclear power unit put into commercial operation. It serves as a reference for new NPPs both in Russian and abroad. Unit 4 with a VVER-440 at the Novovoronezh NPP was commissioned in 1972. This is the oldest of the power units operating at Russian NPPs. This unique unit celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022 and now continues to provide a reliable source of electricity for consumers.
Safety is a top priority for Rosatom and its companies with a significant emphasis on improving safety culture, introducing modern health and safety practices, reducing injuries, deploying information technology. Rosatom Electric Power division is actively involved in this work.
Russia maintains a constructive dialogue with its foreign counterparts, developing its cooperation worldwide and actively contributing to the formation of a multipolar system of international relations.
