The purpose of the visit was to strengthen cooperation between Russia and Japan in the field of nuclear technology and power. Mr. Takuya Hattori was accompanied by representatives of the Japanese companies Marubeni and IHI Corporation operating on the nuclear technology market. The visitors wanted to evaluate technologies used by Rosatom, TVEL Fuel Company and its subsidiary, Siberian Chemical Plant (SCP). Japanese experts inspected radiochemical, sublimation and separation facilities, and had a tour around Seversk and Tomsk to see the sights.
Takuya Hattori said that he was a regular traveler to Russia, visiting nuclear facilities, educational institutions and nuclear-related trade fairs. “First of all, I pay attention to the technologies applied at Russian nuclear facilities. I see that they are materially different from Western technologies, particularly in innovative solutions. Most of them are efficient and reliable – we had a chance to see it during our visit to the Siberian Chemical Plant,” stressed Mr. Hattori.
After the visit to the isotope separation facility, the Japanese experts specifically mentioned centrifuge technologies. “Equipment improves but the technological concept remains unchanged and proves its effectiveness. This is unbelievable! In Japan, we have been working on the development of centrifugation technologies for many years, but have not achieved any significant results yet. By contrast, Russia and the Siberian Chemical Plant in particular have been using these technologies for long,” noted Takuya Hattori.
The Japanese visitors mentioned openness of the Plant’s staff to new ideas, ability to adopt and apply new practices, including those developed in Japan. “We have seen that they use organization management methods conceived and tested in our country, for example, the well-known 5S methodology. It is important for us to know that we have an opportunity to share and improve the best practices and adjust them to new environments. The Siberian Chemical Plant is a good example.”
SCP Chief Technology Officer Viktor Krutykh assured his Japanese colleagues that they were interested in long-term nuclear cooperation between Russia and Japan. “I am absolutely convinced our cooperation will be of mutual benefit as it will improve existing technologies and contribute to the development of innovative solutions,” Mr. Krutykh said in the conclusion.
