Belarusian welders certified as fit for Belarusian nuclear station project

The Russian company OAO NIKIMT Atomstroy has trained and certified welders for the Belarusian enterprises involved in building the Belarusian nuclear power plant, BelTA learned from representatives of the Russian company’s communications department.

As many as 20 specialists have completed the training course and have passed the exam. They will be employed for the installation of auxiliary systems of the reactor. They have been issued certificates and documents that authorize them to oversee and carry out technical control over the organization of welding operations.

“The construction of any nuclear power plant requires a considerable volume of welding operations. The Belarusian nuclear power plant is built in line with Russian norms and requirements, which means that all the welding operations are to be carried out in accordance with Russian rules for the nuclear power engineering industry,” stressed Vladimir Popov, Deputy Director General for Manufacturing of OAO NIKIMT Atomstroy.

In his words, the Belarusian specialists are true professionals with extensive experience of working in the chemical industry and the oil industry. “However, they have not met the requirements set for the nuclear industry before. The training course has allowed the Belarusians to fully prepare for welding operations at the reactor under construction,” added Vladimir Popov.

OAO NIKIMT Atomstroy (the parent material organization of the state corporation Rosatom, part of the control circuit of OAO Atomenergoproject) is the first company in the industry to open an official representation in the Republic of Belarus for training and certifying welders.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant will boast two power-generating units with the total generating capacity of up to 2,400MW (1,200MW each). The Russian design AES-2006 has been chosen to build the power plant. The design is fully compliant with international standards and IAEA recommendations. The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO Atomstroyexport (ASE) is the general designer and the general contractor for building the power plant. The timeline for implementing the project is stipulated by the general contract. The first power-generating unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in November 2018.