Engineering Activities

The completion and safety upgrading of Rovno-4 and Khmelnitskiy-2 units.

Specific objective:

• To support Energoatom in the implementation of:
  • the qualitative inspection, including preparation and management of the corresponding implementation contracts;
  • the urgent preservation works, including the preparation and management of the corresponding implementation contracts and the co-ordination and supervision of these works.

Planned outputs:

• contracts for the implementation of the qualitative inspection are signed and qualitative inspection is implemented.
• contracts for the implementation for the urgent preservation works are signed and preservation works are implemented.

Ukrainian government was always considering completion and upgrading of 2 VVER units: Rovno-4 and Khmelnitsky-2 (R4K2), whose construction was stopped in the late 80’. As a compensation of closure of all Chernobyl units, G7 and EU decided to support Ukrainian nuclear sector on technical and financial matters, in order to ensure that the completed R4K2 units will reach an adequate level of safety and investment feedback.

To provide the basic engineering documentation necessary for the financial dossier to be submitted to international financing institutions for a loan needed for the completion and safety upgrading of R4K2 (VVER 1000/320) units in accordance with the internationally accepted safety criteria.

Planned outputs:

• Documents with the main reference design data and design requirements applicable to the construction of R4K2 units in Ukraine;
• A document with detailed definition of works to be performed for completion of R4K2 units, based on the initial design and existing operation feedback from VVER plants;
• A document including a summary of new safety classification requirements, a description of the modifications (proposed technical solutions) to be implemented, both on documentation and equipment due to the new safety classification. This document is subject to approval by the Ukrainian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (UNRA);
• The updated modernisation program (revision 2) including:
  • Generic programme for all Ukrainian VVER-1000 NPPs;
  • Programme for Rovno-4 unit;
  • Programme for Khmelnitsky-2 unit

This document is subject to UNRA approval.

• A report on analysis of applicability of the NPP documentation used (quantitative inspection review);
• A report on analysis of inspection including: validation of the set of applicable documents used for qualitative inspection, review of the results of qualitative inspection, agreement on the technical solutions proposed to remedy the identified problems (repairs or replacements);
• Documentation on basic design of improvement measures, analyses and expert evaluations, Reports on feasibility studies,
• Preliminary specifications;
• Preliminary detailed estimation of scope of civil works and system materials;
• Preliminary list of documentation which shall be developed for implementation of construction and erection work;
• Preliminary list of the existing documentation to be modified;
• Technical requirements for selection of potential suppliers/designers of equipment;
• Data necessary to schedule all activities concerning R4K2 units including the implementation of all upgrading measures and analyses;
• Detailed cost estimation analysis for design, completion of construction work, procurement of additional equipment, erection, and implementation of the modernisation programme;
• Methodologies for PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment) and other design safety analyses;
• Western computer calculation codes for design safety analyses;
• Available computer and office equipment;
• Proposed training of KIEP experts in design safety analyses and engineering activities.
• The target groups for this project are:
• Goskomatom staff in charge of NPP construction;
• Management of Ukrainian NPPs (now Energoatom);
• Management and experts of KIEP (Kiev Energo Projekt) design institute;
• PMG (Project Management Group) funded by TACIS for R4K2 completion.

The whole period of the project development related to the completion and upgrading of R4K2 units can be divided into two main stages:

First stage:

The document “Modernisation programme for Rovno NPP unit-4 and Khmelnitsky NPP unit-2” was developed and agreed with UNRA and Riskaudit. Resulting from the inspection data submitted by PMG, the following documents were developed:

• “Preliminary cost estimate of the remaining works required for the construction completion, additional equipment and upgrading measures for Rovno NPP-4 and Khmelnitsky NPP-2”;
• “Preliminary data required for developing a schedule for the performance of the project “Completion and upgrading of Rovno NPP unit-4 and Khmelnitsky NPP unit-2”.

Second stage:

• On the basis of the “modernisation programme” mentioned here above, 182 engineering measures were developed for improvement of safety and reliability;
• Main data (technical specifications) were drawn up for potential suppliers/designers of the equipment which is required for the completion and upgrading of R4K2;
• The schedules for project performance were elaborated for all kinds of construction and erection work, equipment supply, upgrading measures and possible dismantling work. Organisational and engineering structure was drawn up for the construction phase as well;
• The final cost estimate for the completion and upgrading of R4K2 was carried out, taking into account the results of the qualitative and quantitative inspection performed by the end of the contract;
• Computer codes PLEXUS (structural strength analysis of NPP systems), NUPIPE (pipe calculation), RELAP (accident analysis) and ANSYS, ASMACIOW and POSTENEA (containment strength under external effects) were installed at KIEP premises, with training of KIEP experts.

The above mentioned documents were submitted to PMG to prepare the financial dossier and the other documents necessary for obtaining the loan to complete construction and upgrade R4K2, as well as for using them in a tender process related to equipment supply in the event of this being required.

Comments

All activities have been performed in accordance with the Terms of Reference and the schedule of contract.
To Contractor’s opinion, in the process of contract performance, a number of deficiencies were found which are to be corrected in the process of developing the next contract:

• Coordination between ENAC-KIEP-MOHT and PMG: ENAC-KIEP-MOHT claims that PMG did not provide in due time a number of documents, delaying the work.
• Payment for KIEP and MOHT work: performed contract work was paid within 80-100 days, as 60 days are mentioned in contract. This led to difficulties for KIEP to pay in advance translations, salaries and business trips.

Further Information

Further information on the project results could be sought from the beneficiary organisation, now Energoatom.