This file is no longer being updated. For information on
developments in the nuclear power industry, please see the Nuclear
Power Developments section.
40 km from Voronezh
Address: Novovoronezhskaya AES, Novovoronezh,
Voronezh Oblast, 396072
Telephone: +7 (07364) 73305
Rosenergoatom
Director: Vyacheslav Vikin
Deputy Director: Aleksandr Revin
Chief Engineer: Vladimir Zarubayev
Units 1 and 2: V-120 PWR
Units 3 and 4: According to Nuclear Engineering
International, VVER-440 PWR, Model V-179.[1] According to the Pacific
Northwest Laboratory Website, they are Model V-230.[2]
Unit 5: VVER-1000 PWR, Model V-187
Five; only Units 3, 4, and 5 are operational
Unit 1: initial criticality September 1964; operational
December 1964; shut down for decommissioning February 1988[1,2]
Unit 2: initial criticality December 1969; operational
December 1969; shut down for decommissioning August 1990[1,2]
Unit 3: initial criticality December 1971; operational
December 1971
Unit 4: initial criticality December 1972; operational
December 1972
Unit 5: initial criticality April 1980; operational
May 1980[1]
Units 3 and 4: 385 MWe per operating
unit
Unit 5: 950 MWe
Units 3 and 4: enriched to 3.6 percent
Unit 5: enriched to 4.4 percent
Units 1 and 2, both PWRs (pressurized water reactors),
were shut down in February 1988 and August 1990, respectively, due to the
radiation-induced embrittlement of the pressure vessels.[1,2] According
to Professor S. G. Tsypin of Gosatomnadzor,
fuel has been unloaded from Units 1 and 2, and their primary and secondary
circuits are decontaminated.[3] On 1 June 1994, Nucnet News reported
that Units 3 and 4 at Novovoronezh were scheduled to be removed from service;
however, this was never done.[4] In April 2000 Gosatomnadzor
Chairman Yuriy Vishnevskiy stated that an inspection of Unit 3 indicated
that the reactor vessel was in an extremely weak state.[5] Unit 3's
service life expires in December 2001, Unit 4's in December 2002.[6]
Under the International
Nuclear Safety Program, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has been providing
assistance to improve safety at Novovoronezh, particularly focusing on improving
safety systems. An analytical simulator was set up at Unit 3 to improve
reactor operator training; the simulator was declared operational in September
1998. DOE also furnished Novovoronezh with safety parameter display
systems, a mobile emergency water supply system, and basic equipment such
as computers, overhead projectors, projector screens, whiteboards, and office
furniture. DOE has been developing improved operating procedures and
practices, assisting in the development of 29 symptom-based emergency operating
instructions. Plant personnel have been trained through operator exchanges;
the Systematic Approach to Training methodology and training materials developed
at the Balakovo Training Center have been transferred to Novovoronezh.
A pilot course for shift supervisors was also developed and implemented. DOE
efforts to improve key safety systems have included the creation of technical
guidelines and training for performing in-depth safety assessments, draft
system description documentation, and component reliability databases.
As of February 1999, probabilistic risk assessments had been initiated. Further,
DOE held training workshops to address plant safety analysis tools and methods
for developing thermal-hydraulic models in support of safety assessment activities
for Units 3,4, and 5.
The Novovoronezh plant uses the "deep evaporation"
technique to process liquid waste. Solid waste is compacted after
sorting. The solid waste storage facility was 65-85 percent full
as of October 1996.
Units 6 and 7, VVER-1000 reactors,
are scheduled to be completed between 2001-2005.
The Novovoronezh nuclear power plant was the first
to employ VVER-1000 (light-water moderated, light-water cooled) reactors
and a fifth power unit.
(For more recent developments,
see the Nuclear
Power Developments file):
4/20/2000: TACIS SAFETY PROJECT FOR UNIT 5 TO
BEGIN IN FALL 2000
On 20 April 2000 Interfax reported Novovoronezh NPP
Deputy Director Aleksandr Revin's statement that a TACIS-funded project
to install three new safety systems at Unit 5 would begin in the Fall of
2000. The project, which will cost $10 million, is to be completed
by 2002.
1999: EBRD-FUNDED IMPROVEMENTS AT UNIT 4 COMPLETED
According to Novovoronezh NPP Deputy Director Aleksandr
Revin, the EBRD spent $17.2 million on Unit 4 modernization and equipment
upgrades. The EBRD program included the installation of a Wartsila
NSD mobile diesel generator, external radiation monitoring equipment
from Finland purchased through Pribori
Oy, as well as fireproofing from Germany. The program was concluded
in 1999.
8/17/99: ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS PROTEST USE OF MOX
FUEL AT NOVOVORONEZH NPP
On 17 August 1999, members of Russian and international
environmental organizations set up a camp 2km away from the Novovoronezh
NPP to protest Minatom's plan to use MOX fuel at the facility beginning
in 2001.[1,2,3] Novovoronezh management noted that Unit 5 would have to
be upgraded to enable it to burn MOX fuel.[1] The environmentalists argue
that the program would increase environmental hazards in the region.[2]
4/21/99: INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS INSPECT NOVOVORONEZH NPP
On 21 April 1999, a group of experts from the World Association of Nuclear
Power Operators, began a complex inspection of Novovoronezh NPP in order
to assess its operations and provide recommendations on enhancing safety
and efficiency. The inspectors will examine the organizational set-up,
level of protection against radiation, personnel competence, and operations
in general. The inspection is to end on 8 May 1999.
2/99: WORKERS TRANSFERRED FROM LITHUANIA TO NOVOVORONEZH
According to Atompressa, Minatom recruited
300 workers from Lithuania's Ignalina
Nuclear Power Plant to work at Novovoronezh. The workers are specialists
in construction and installation.
2/1/99: IRANIANS TO RECEIVE NUCLEAR TRAINING AT
NOVOVORONEZH
According to the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy,
30 Iranian specialists are scheduled to arrive in Moscow in early February
to receive training for operation of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
The Iranians will be trained at a training center at the Novovoronezh nuclear
power plant; the training center has received assistance from Japan in
upgrading its equipment. Under the terms of a Russian-Iranian contract
signed in 1995, several hundred Iranians will be trained in Russia.
Minister of Atomic Energy Yevgeniy Adamov said that the Bushehr plant will
be fully staffed by 2000-2001. One thousand Russians work at the Bushehr
site, and the first unit of the plant is 30 to 40 percent complete. Minatom
has allocated $150 million for construction of the Bushehr plant in 1999,
up from $100 million in 1998. (Please see the Russian
Nuclear and Missile Exports to Iran section for more information.)
12/27/97: TRESPASSERS CAUGHT IN VICINITY OF NPP
On 27 December 1997, two individuals possessing false passports were arrested
by security personnel of the NPP. Rabochaya tribuna called
the trespassers "terrorists" but gave no additional information supporting
this description.
12/4/96: RADIOACTIVE STEAM BUILDUP AT NOVOVORONEZH-3
Unit 3 of the Novovoronezh NPP was shut down due to the buildup of radioactive
steam in the dome of the reactor. Radiation levels stayed within the normal
range. According to an NTV report, Gosatomnadzor expected the reactor to
re-start within a week.
7/30/96: TRAINING SYSTEM INSTALLED
A new training system, an exact replica of Unit 4 at the Balakovo plant,
has been installed at Novovoronezh.[1] The system can simulate up to a
thousand variations in operating conditions, including accidents.[1] It
was designed and developed between 1993 and 1996 under a Russian-Japanese
cooperation program.[1] The total cost of the training system was ECU 19.7
million ($15.5 million, based on the exchange rate for 30 July 1996).[2]
6/7/96: NOVOVORONEZH NPP WORKERS PROTEST NONPAYMENT OF WAGES
After not receiving their wages for four months, Novovoronezh plant workers
began protesting. Because strikes at nuclear power plants are illegal,
those who work in hazardous areas have refused the free meals provided
by the plant. Workers called for a meeting with management at the end of
the week. The head of the workers' movement said that despite the protest,
there is no threat to safety -- in fact, workers have been more attentive
than usual.
3/26/96: VVER TO BE BUILT AT NOVOVORONEZH
Construction of VVER-640 is planned at Novovoronezh, according to Minatom
Minister Mikhailov.
6/95: NOVOVORONEZH TO RECEIVE SIMULATORS
It was reported that Novovoronezh will receive new simulators to train
its VVER-440 operators. The simulators will be provided by a West European
consortium consisting of Belgatom, Corys, Siemens, and Thomson.
1/95: FOUR SIMULATORS AT NOVOVORONEZH
It was reported that there are currently four simulators, two in operation
and two under construction, at Novovoronezh Units 3 and 4 (VVER-440) and
Unit 5 (VVER-1000).
4/26/95: NOVOVORONEZH TO RECEIVE EBRD GRANT
It was reported that the EBRD would provide the Novovoronezh nuclear facility
with a $25 million grant for safety improvements at the beginning of 5/95.
The improvements are scheduled to be completed by the end of 1997. It has
been suggested that high Russian import tariffs could hinder implementation
of the project.
4/6/95: PLANT TO RECEIVE SIMULATOR
It was reported that the Novovoronezh nuclear facility would receive at
least one VVER/230 simulator as part of the European Union's TACIS and
PHARE technical assistance programs. The simulator is manufactured by the
European Simulation Consortium, composed of Belgian, French, and German
companies (Belgatom, Corys, Siemens, and Thomson). Simulators are being
provided as part of a project scheduled to operate from 1/95 through 12/96.
3/10/95: MISSILE EXPLODES 4.5 KM FROM NUCLEAR PLANT
An errant missile X-25, fired by a Russian Air Force SU-25 attack aircraft
based at the Butulin Air Force testing range, exploded 4.5 km from the
Novovoronezh nuclear facility.
12/94: EMERGENCY UNLOADING IMPOSSIBLE AT NOVOVORONEZH
By the end of 1994, it had become impossible to perform "emergency core
unloading" at Units 3 and 4 due to over-filled cooling and storage ponds.
Safety regulations require that sufficient space be left in cooling ponds
to allow for the unloading of the reactor core in the event of an emergency.
3/25/93: GOVERNMENT APPROVES DECREE TO CREATE NUCLEAR ACCIDENT RESPONSE
CENTERS
On 25 March 1993, the Russian Cabinet of Ministers approved a resolution
according to which the Ministry
of Atomic Energy and the State
Committee on Civil Defense Affairs, Emergencies, and Liquidation of Consequences
of Natural Disasters are to create five "accident-technical centers"
(ATCs) as part of an effort to improve Russia's emergency warning and response
system as it relates to nuclear facilities. An ATC is to be created at
each of the following locations: the All-Russian
Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF), the
All-Russian
Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics (VNIITF), the Novovoronezh
nuclear power plant, the Siberian
Chemical Combine, and the V.G.
Khlopin Radium Institute. The work of the ATCs is to be supported
by the Ministries of Atomic Energy,
Defense,
the Economy, Transportation,
Communications, and Health.
Last updated 25 May 2000
For more recent developments,
see the Nuclear
Power Developments file.
Comments or questions? Contact Cristina Chuen at MIIS
CNS: Cristina.Chuen@miis.edu
This material is produced independently for NTI
by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies and
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has
not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers,
employees, agents. Copyright © 2003 by MIIS.
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