Development of the Strategy for the long-term Ukrainian NPP Safety ManagementProject U2.01.07, Ukraine

Until the year 2014, there were 15 power units with water-cooled water-moderated reactors operating at four nuclear power plants (NPP) in Ukraine, two units with VVER-440 and 13 units with VVER-1000. Most of these units, 12 out of 15, were commissioned between years 1980 and 1989 and their operational lifetime is limited by the year 2020. The Ukrainian Cabinet of ministers approved the long-term energy security strategy for the period 2008-2030. In connection to this decision, Energoatom has commenced the implementation of the ageing management programmes in all the Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

The INSC project “Development of the Strategy for the long-term Ukrainian NPP Safety Management”, funded by European Commission, was intended as technical assistance to Ukraine in the field of the NPP ageing management. The results of this project should be used to improve the programmes and schedules of NNEGC "Energoatom" in terms of equipment resource management as well as industry standards. It includes methodological support in the development and implementation of ageing management programmes for critical systems and components at the Ukrainian NPPs.

The overall objective of this project was transfer of the best EU and international know how on operational safety culture to the NPPs, in particular on the development of a strategy for the long-term Ukrainian safety management, and to maintain modernization activities in a variety of design safety areas. According to the Terms of Reference (ToR), the objective of the project was to assist the Ukrainian operator Energoatom in the improvement of:

• Programmes and schedules of NNEGC Energoatom, including industry regulations on plant life management.
• Plant practices of NNEGC Energoatom, including methodological assistance in establishing and implementing ageing management programmes for NPP critical structures, systems and components (SSCs).

The work was performed by the Consortium of four companies, ÚJV Řež, a. s. (Czech Republic) as project leader, VÚJE a.s. (Slovakia), NPP OSI (Ukraine) and ENERGORISK (Ukraine).

As pilot plants, two NPPs were selected by the Beneficiary: Zaporizhye NPP, Unit 1 and South Ukraine NPP, Unit 2. Both NPPs are of the VVER/1000 type.

The work consists of seven tasks, covering review of standards, giving recommendations to ageing management practice and IT support of ageing management (AM) in Ukraine:

• TASK 1 – Project management
• TASK 2 – International approaches and tools for ageing management
• TASK 3 – Preparatory and supporting activities, specific to the Ukraine
  • Subtask 3.1 – Plant programmes and approaches for ageing management of SSCs at Ukrainian NPPs
  • Subtask 3.2 – Ageing related topics in the current Periodic Safety Review of Ukrainian NPPs
  • Subtask 3.3 – Permanent consolidation of the project results throughout the project
• TASK 4 – Scope and capabilities for ageing management of Ukrainian NPPs
• TASK 5 – Elaboration of detailed ageing management programmes for pilot NPPs. Training of Beneficiary personnel.
• TASK 6 – Database and automated ageing management system
  • Subtask 6.1 – Analysis of existing ageing management databases and applications in the Ukraine
  • Subtask 6.2 – Recommendations, functional and technical specifications for a modernisation of the Ukrainian AAMS (Automated System of NPP Equipment Ageing Management)
  • Subtask 6.3 – Implementation of the components database.
• TASK 7 – Finalisation and dissemination

IAEA approach has been taken as a basis, together with US NRC, Czech and Slovak approaches and experience. Through clear explanations of the main steps of the AM process the recommendations for improvement of Ukrainian documents were defined in order to be in step with the new IAEA requirements.

The review of the management documents and other supporting activities were supplemented with the work performed on site, at the pilot NPPs: searching for specific technical documents, discussing with the NPP experts, clarifying history, practices and planned or possible changes/upgrades in ageing management at these NPPs. As a result, twelve AM programmes were elaborated for selected components of the plant. Selection of components was done by the Beneficiary for the pilot plants and was based on its needs at the time the project was about to start. This selection contains structural, electrical and mechanical components, such as reactor pressure vessel, including its internals and upper block, steam generator, surge line piping, I&C, power cables, spent fuel pool, containment pre-stressing system, reactor building basement and others. Elaborated components’ AM programmes are based on the IAEA approach and also on the experience of Slovak and Czech members of the Consortium with supporting of AM and long term operation of NPPs in their own countries. The analyses and lifetime assessment of the same or similar components at other Ukrainian NPPs, done by Czech and Slovak experts, were also used. Components’ AM programmes are tailored to the concrete NPP conditions, they utilize current activities and programmes at the NPP and, where necessary, they propose supplements or changes, or recommend completely new procedures.

Simultaneously, mapping and describing all database applications used by NAEK Energoatom for reliability and/or ageing management was done and recommendations were given. Based on the results of this assessment and on the Beneficiary’s needs, the AM supporting database applications for primary piping and cable AM were developed.

During the whole project course, intensive cooperation with the Beneficiary took place, starting with the clarification of the Beneficiary’s expectations and with getting access to the relevant documents, through many discussions of the scope and form of the results, and finally also facilitating effective communication with the Ukrainian regulatory body. At the end, the Beneficiary expressed the satisfaction with the project results and confirmed that their utilization is under way.