Smolensk NPP is preparing for the OSART mission

During the visit the IAEA experts – Acting Director of the Nuclear Plant Safety Department Miroslav Lipar and Deputy Director of the Nuclear Plant Safety Department Gabor Vamosh – held a seminar on the OSART methodology.
The seminar participants were acquainted with the OSART common concept and program, testing criteria, and the list of IAEA safety standards for nuclear plants operation, which the experts will adhere to during their mission as well as with the results of similar international inspections at foreign NPPs.
The IAEA experts together with the plant specialists – heads of future audit directions, made an information visit to the main building, external and support facilities of Smolensk NPP. During that visit they checked the correspondence of the nuclear plant premises, equipment and systems condition to international standards. They also visited the educational and training department and NPP safety operational centre.
During the closing meeting the international experts shared their observations, made after their inspection visit, and gave some recommendations for improvement of the plant operational safety.
Summarizing the results of the advance visit, Miroslav Lipar noted that Smolensk NPP had made a good impression on the IAEA experts. “It is important that for each operation direction you invite IAEA experts and held training seminars, study knew international experience for safety improvement and introduce at the plant the best practices. You have demonstrated good examples of how it is possible to improve some NPP processes, equipment and premises”, Miroslav Lipar noted.
The OSART mission is to provide an objective assessment of NPP operational reliability and is aimed at further safety improvement by means of the best practice exchange.
The audit is implemented at 9 directions. They are – administration, training and certification, operation, repair and engineering cover, operating experience, radiation protection, chemistry and emergency preparedness.
The members of the mission are chosen by the International Agency on Nuclear Energy. It includes the most experienced specialists of the international nuclear power industry.
Since 1983 international experts have held 157 NPP audits all over the world.
Smolensk NPP is a branch of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. Every year SNPP contributes to the country electric power system at the average about 20 bln kilowatt-hours of electric power equal to almost 13% of power generated in Rosenergoatom Concern and to more than 80% of that generated by the power plants of Smolensk region.