Core catcher for second unit of Belarusian nuclear station in July 2014

The so-called core catcher for the second power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will be shipped in July 2014, BelTA learned from Vitaly Shishov, Director for Operations of the Volgodonsk-based branch Atommash of ZAO AEM Technologies, on 18 June.

It has been decided already that the equipment will be delivered by waterways via Smolensk and then to Belarus by road, specified the press service of ZAO AEM Technologies. The core catcher for the second power-generating unit will be delivered within two months directly to the construction site.

According to Vitaly Shishov, the main large-size parts of the core catcher are nearly ready for transportation. The core catcher for the first power-generating unit has been delivered and its installation is nearly over.

The entire core catcher weighs about 900 tonnes, making its delivery to the customer difficult. The core catcher is a specialized system designed to protect nuclear power plants. The device protects load-bearing structures of the hermetic shell from thermomechanical impact of the molten core, which temperature can exceed 2,000C during an emergency.

Construction workers started pouring concrete into the foundation of the facilities that will make up the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant at the Ostrovets site in November 2013. 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.