The reactor vessel was shipped to the site last October, with internals to follow later this year. The shipment includes nearly 300 components, ranging from an 11-meter reactor pit to much smaller parts, such as witness samples.
The fit-up test was performed on a specially designed test installation imitating the reactor vessel. Following the testing procedure, the equipment was found to comply with design specifications.
Earlier, Atommash had completed tests on the lower semi-vessel of VVER-1200 reactor for Unit 2 of the Belarusian NPP. They included a penetrant test, a radiographic test and ultrasonic examination. Now the semi-vessel’s inner surface is being coated with a corrosion-resistant weld overlay.
The shipment of the reactor vessel for the nuclear station in Belarus became a new milestone for the Russian nuclear industry since it was the first reactor vessel produced by Atommash for almost 30 years and the first made within Rosatom Group (in Russia, all reactor vessels had been manufactured by Izhorskiye Zavody in Saint Petersburg).
Atommash, the Soviet industrial major, was built in the 1970s to manufacture nuclear power equipment. In the post-Soviet period, it went through hard times and almost lost its engineering competencies. In 2012, Atommash joined the engineering division of Rosatom. Soon afterwards, a recovery program was initiated to re-launch the production of nuclear equipment. Capital investments in Atommash reached nearly 2 billion rubles over 2012–2015.
Ahead of the schedule
Unit 2 of the Belarusian NPP can be brought online ahead of the project schedule. Chief Engineer Anatoly Bondar says, “We are moving fast so the interval between the commissioning of Unit 1 and Unit 2 may be shorter than expected.” According to Mikhail Mikhadyuk, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Energy, there are no delays in the construction and equipment installation will start later this year as planned.
The chief engineer noted that the cost of nuclear equipment procured by that time amounted to $2.1 billion, or 70% of total equipment costs budgeted for the project ($3.0 billion). According to him, all the facilities scheduled for the previous year were commissioned as planned. “In 2015, we were working at 102 facilities out of 140. Nearly 4.5 employees work on the construction site of the Belarusian NPP,” Mikhadyuk added.
FOR REFERENCE
The Belarusian NPP is constructed with Russia’s involvement near Astravets (Ostrovets), a small town in the Grodno Region of Belarus. It will consist of two V-491 reactor units with an aggregate capacity of 2.4 MW. The general contractor is Rosatom’s subsidiary AtomStroyExport. The project is mostly financed with a $10bn loan facility provided by the Russian Government.
