The first nuclear power plant in Belarus is being constructed by Russia. “NIAEP-ASE (Rosatom’s engineering company) is our general contractor managing this complex project,” Andrei Barkun, Deputy Director General of the Belarusian NPP, said during the opening ceremony. Preparations for the construction of Unit One are at their final stage now. “We are four months ahead of the schedule,” reports Yuri Pustovoy, NIAEP office head in Belarus.
Unit One is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, followed by Unit Two in 2020. Yuri Pustovoy believes the both units may be completed 8 to 9 months earlier. The core catcher will be soon delivered to the site, and the reactor and turbine shells have already gone into production. The catcher and shells account for 40% to 50% of total equipment costs. Over 80% of all work is being carried out by local companies. “We have established a joint working group with our Russian partners to localize the project,” says Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk. “Much effort is taken to provide scientific support, involve Belarusian researchers, and establish a legal framework for NPP operation.”
Technologies to be used in the construction process were presented in detail by other Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian companies participating in the project.
Visual aid
Atomproekt, a leading nuclear engineering company based in Saint Petersburg, brought to Atomexpo Belarus its interactive model of the AES-2006 design. This design is implemented in the Belarusian NPP and Leningrad NPP-2 currently under construction, and will be used in nuclear power projects in Finland (Hanhikivi), Hungary (Paks-2) and Egypt. The model’s LCD panel shows key NPP buildings. Lacking experience in the nuclear energy field, Belarusian engineers are full of questions. “They are asking for details about the core catcher and turbine design,” says an Atomproekt representative. A senior turbine engineer at the Belarusian NPP with a solid expertise in thermal power plants spoke about the model with appreciation, “It is very helpful for young employees as it shows literally everything inside, even passages.”
Much interest was aroused by another model, an AES-2006 hologram presented by Atomenergoproekt, a Moscow-based engineering company, general NPP designer and contractor. The entire territory of Novovoronezh NPP-2 – from parking areas to key buildings – was displayed on a huge screen. With eye tracking 3D glasses and a remote control, you can get to virtually any point inside the power plant, watch cars and employees moving about, and see even the rotor blades in motion.
Strong together
Most exhibition stands bear Rosatom’s logo. Automated radiation control systems were presented by Start Production Association, a diversified cutting-edge facility with highly qualified engineers specializing in the production of sophisticated electromechanical, electronic and radio signal systems. Dmitri Kudryavtsev, Deputy General Director for Civil Products at Start Production Association, says, “Acting as a system integrator, we have established a consortium of three companies – Atomtex (Belarus) supplies radiation monitors, Radico (Obninsk, Russia) supplies components, and we make the entire system.”
VNIIAES, a research and development institute, presented information about its key activities – scientific support for NPP operations and development of automated process control systems. “We have just started working with Belarus. Together with NIIIS, we supply process control systems,” says VNIIAES Director Sergei Petrov. “Since most control systems use Areva and Siemens components, our task is to produce Russian alternatives of even better quality.”
Atomexpo Belarus is gaining in interest. This year the exhibition hosted 48 companies, with an increased number of visitors and speakers. According to participants, the event has turned into a good venue for a variety of industry experts willing to work on the nuclear market.
Role of education
While Atomexpo was welcoming visitors, Minsk opened a nuclear power information center. Vladimir Semashko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, noted that the center would focus on raising public awareness of peaceful nuclear power. “We need to inform people why nuclear station is built in Belarus. This is a primary goal of the information center,” said Vladimir Semashko.
Financed by NIAEP-ASE, the information center in Minsk has state-of-the-art equipment, including a cinema combining panoramic and 3D images, computer graphics and animation, with interactive dashboards and individual screens.
The center offers a free education program suitable for all ages. Apart from peaceful uses of nuclear power, the program covers astronomy, natural sciences and country studies in English and Russian.
Nuclear power information centers are unique communication venues for children, their parents, students, and teachers. Focusing on nuclear education and promotion of science and innovations, information centers currently operate in 17 Russian cities as well as in Vietnam, Turkey, Bangladesh and Belarus.
