Smolensk NPP: the 1-st stage of Emergency Response Exercise was completed

Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC holds Complex Emergency Response Exercises at one of Russian NPPs every year. Exercise Director and Head of the nuclear power plant emergency assistance group (OPAS Group) – Deputy General Director of Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC – Director of production and operation of the NPP Alexander Shutikov in response to the journalists’ questions reported that the Concern had already held the scheduled exercise at Bilibino NPP that year as well as unscheduled additional exercise at Smolensk nuclear power plant.
“The basic feature of this CERE is the fact that it’s held within the framework of joint exercise of RF and Belarusian forces aimed at elimination of factitious radiation accident at Smolensk NPP,” A.Shutikov noted.
During the first day of the exercise, September 22, the relevant services and divisions conducted training exercise in extinction of factitious fire, first aid treatment to the injured, radiation survey, evacuation of the nuclear power plant personnel and sheltering, disinfection and equipment decontamination.
The exercise at SNPP is being watched by foreign experts and representatives of IAEA from Belarus, Sweden, Korea, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Norway, Germany, the USA, China, Finland, Armenia, the Ukraine.
On September 23, the second day of CERE-2010, OPAS Group, specialized machinery of Atomtekhenergo Centres, EMERCOM and other governmental authorities will come to Desnogorsk. Also on September 23 practical actions for people evacuation, deployment of contamination machinery, accident localization, organization of hospital and other event are to be held. This very day there will be a press conference for representatives of Russian and foreign mass media.
Representatives of 18 institutions including OPAS Group (the nuclear power plant emergency assistance group established by Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC), Rostekhnadzor, Rosatom Crisis Management Centre, groups of experts from All-Russian Research Institute of Nuclear Power Plants, Technical Assistance Centre of All-Russian Research Institute for the Operation of Atomic Power Stations, Kurchatov Institute Russian Scientific Centre, Typhoon Research and Development Enterprise, Federal Medical Bio-Physical Centre, Nuclear Safety Institute of Russian Academy of Science,Power Engineering Research and Design Institute, Atomenergoproekt, Atomenergoremont, Atomtekhenergo as well as Novovoronezh branch of St. Petersburg Emergency Centre took part in CERE-2010 which is held at Smolensk NPP on September 22-23. The total number of participants is over 1,200 people and over 60 units of specialized machinery including aircrafts and helicopters.
During the exercise power units Nos. 2 and 3 Smolensk NPP are operating in the standard mode. No interference in the SNPP power units operation connected with the exercise is supposed. The aggregate capacity is 2,040 megawatt. Power unit No. 1 is under scheduled major overhaul. No deviations in the equipment operation have been detected. The radiation background at SNPP industrial site and in the adjacent territory is not changed and corresponds to the natural environmental values.