Thorough training for BelNPP personnel

Future employees of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) are undergoing a most thorough training, deputy chief engineer for personnel training at the BelNPP Vladimir Gorin said during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 28 September.

The Russian design AES-2006 with water-moderated power reactors that boast improved reliability and safety was chosen for the construction of the BelNPP. It outperforms similar foreign designs in terms of several safety indicators. For example, the Belarusian nuclear power plant will have a double containment system. The internal containment vessel will protect the environment and people from radiation, including in case of an accident, while the external vessel will protect the reactor from outer influences. “Even if the probability of an accident (an earthquake, a waterspout, an aircraft crash, etc.) is higher than once in a million years, the BelNPP will be able to withstand the negative effects of such accidents,” Vladimir Gorin stressed.

Only highly qualified specialists will have access to the plant. “The human factor cannot be overlooked. Thus, we are very careful about selecting the staff for the BelNPP,” Vladimir Gorin emphasized.

The Russian state corporation Rosatom is involved in training Belarusian specialists. Russia has developed a unique system for training nuclear industry specialists for its own needs and for other countries that are building nuclear plants using Russian projects. The system includes such world-renowned universities as the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, and the Tomsk University,” Vladimir Gorin said.

As for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its experts took part in the preparation of the Belarusian state program for training nuclear industry specialists. Belarusian universities received a computer-based training system on the basics of NPP policies, management and technology in line with IAEA's technical assistance project aimed at the development of nuclear infrastructure and a system of personnel training in Belarus.

The agency also provides help with personnel retraining. For example, more than ten professors of Belarusian universities have already undergone advanced training.