Project N T/RU/TSO/19 : Nuclear Safety

Construction at Kalinin NPP unit 3 started in 1985 in accordance with VVER 1000 (model V-320) design. Construction stopped in 1989 when the project had been 60% complete. The European Commission had been asked for an Euratom loan to be used for completion and upgrading of Kalinin NPP unit 3. Therefore the Commission requested an independent expert evaluation of the nuclear safety aspects of the proposed plan. It required also an explicit expert’s statement whether the upgraded plant would fulfil western European safety objectives and practices as well as radiation protection standards.

The scope of the project included:

• an expert opinion on the quality and completeness of the already executed work on Kalinin NPP unit 3
• a review of the project including an evaluation of the safety concept of the proposed modifications and of the proposed safety improvements
• the identification of any gaps or problem areas that would prevent the upgraded plant from fulfilling western European safety objectives and practices
• a reasoned expert judgement on the on site capacity and safety aspects of nuclear fuel handling, waste treatment, fuel and waste storage and the provisions for decommissioning
• an evaluation whether the on site provisions for occupational and environmental radiological protection in normal and in accident conditions (including the definition of basic reference accidents and environmental source terms necessary for the environmental impact assessments of accidents) are appropriate
• a safety evaluation report and its presentation
• support to Commission in technical questions until the loan is granted
• a solicitation of the GAN’s (Gosatomnadzor) opinion on the project.

The project covered the prescribed scope. In addition the experts provided additional recommendations to improve nuclear safety of Kalinin NPP unit 3. The conclusions were that the proposed modernisation plan including also additional experts’ recommendations would fulfil internationally accepted safety objectives and western European practices.
One should note that Kalinin NPP unit 3 was successfully connected to the grid in 2004 and entered commercial operation in 2005.

The objective of this project was to provide the Commission with an independent expert evaluation whether the upgraded Kalinin NPP unit 3 would be in line with European safety objectives and practices.