At the Novovoronezh-2 NPP (General Designer and General Contractor - JSC Atomenergoproekt, Moscow), an engineering surveillance inspection was held with participation of the National Association of Russian Nuclear Industry Insurers (NNIIA), representatives of the Moscow Joint-Stock Insurance Company (JSC MAKS), reinsurance broker JSC Marsh-Insurance Brokers, foreign reinsurance companies Nuclear Risk Insurers Limited (UK) and Assuratome (France).
The purpose of the survey procedure was to get familiar with the plant construction progress and to analyze and estimate the most essential construction and erection risks, as well as risks in the field of NPP nuclear safety.
The representatives of insurance companies also visited the new fire depot and the already commissioned Training Center for training and educating the personnel for the NPP, in which they saw the operating full-scale training simulator.
In the words of delegation members, they received thorough information on all questions relating to quality assurance in performing the construction and erection works, specific features of the equipment used at the Novovoronezh-2 NPP, standby and emergency power supply systems, organization of fire safety, etc.
Experts, who have great experience in inspecting similar facilities both in Russia and abroad, pointed out, as strong aspects of the project, a high level of its intrinsic safety, in particular, the combined use of active and passive safety systems, as well as availability of the modern Training Center, in which all conditions for training the operating personnel have been put in place. In the opinion of the Assuratom engineer Fabien Rose, “this is a pledge for safe and reliable plant operation.” The representative of the UK Nuclear Insurance Pool Michael Pitch, lessons from the Fukushima accident have properly taken into account in the Novovoronezh-2 NPP.
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n the opinion of experts, another aspect of positive experience implemented at the Novovoronezh-2 NPP construction site consists in the quality assurance program in performing construction and erection works, which actively embraces subcontractors, efficient Designer’s supervision over the equipment installation works, which is carried out with participation of supervising engineers of manufacturing plants, and includes work on posing claims to contractors and equipment suppliers who improperly perform their obligations.
Formation of a set of measures recommended by experts of insurance companies on preventing risks will be the result of the performed engineering surveillance inspection.