BelNPP construction: Design matters

Alexander Kazarin

Deputy Director General, Director of the WWER Technology Department of Atomproject

The design of Belarus’ first nuclear power plant (BelNPP) that is being built near Ostrovets was developed by Saint-Petersburg-based company Atomproject, the leading design bureau of the Russian state nuclear energy industry corporation Rosatom that holds about 40% of Russia’s nuclear engineering market. Atomproject offers comprehensive design of nuclear facilities, conducts scientific research and develops new-generation nuclear energy technologies.

How were the documents for the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant drafted? Where else are similar projects implemented? What unique projects does Atomproject take part in? These and other questions will be answered by Deputy Director General, Director of the WWER Technology Department of Atomproject Alexander Kazarin. The online conference is arranged in the form of a videoconference with Saint Petersburg.

Questions can be submitted beforehand or asked during the conference. The answers will be published after 11:00 on 20 December.


Atomproject praises quality of construction works at BelNPP


The quality of works at the construction site of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP) is very high, Deputy Director General, Director of the WWER Technology Department Alexander Kazarin told an online conference hosted by BelTA on 20 December.

“The quality of construction works at the Belarusian nuclear power plant is very high,” he said. The official explained that the Atomproject surveillance group is constantly present at the construction site. “The general designer is responsible for the compliance of the construction of the plant with its documentation and if necessary it has the right to halt all the construction works,” Alexander Kazarin added.

OAO Atomproject was founded at the basis of OAO VNIPIET Chief Institute and St. Petersburg’s Atomenergoproject on 1 July 2014. Atomproject is the leading company of Rosatom State Corporation. The company designs nuclear facilities, conducts research and developes new-generation nuclear power technologies.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built 18km away from the town of Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The BelNPP will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. The AES-2006 design developed by the Saint Petersburg-based R&D company Atomenergoproject was chosen for building Belarus’ first nuclear power plant. The first power-generating unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in 2018, the second one in 2020.

Atomproject to finish issuing documents on BelNPP construction in 2015


In 2015 Atomproject will finish working on the engineering documents on the construction of the facilities of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) which are within the scope of responsibility of the Russian company, Deputy Director General, Director of the WWER Technology Department of Atomproject Alexander Kazarin told an online conference hosted by BelTA on 20 December.
“In 2015 we will issue the last engineering documents for the construction phase of our facilities of the Belarusian nuclear power plant and will start working on the documents related to the mounting of technological equipment,” Alexander Kazarin said. By the end of 2014 the company will issue the documents that will guide all the company-supervised construction works at the BelNPP in 2015. The design works in 2015 will guide the construction works to be done in 2016.

Alexander Kazarin assured that in 2014 Atomproject fulfilled all its obligations related to drafting of the engineering documents for the construction of the “nuclear island” and the “turbine island” of the both power-generating units. It was reported earlier that nearly 1,600 sets of engineering documents were to be provided to the customer in 2014. “This number of documents was drafted for the construction of all buildings and facilities of the nuclear and turbine islands of the first power-generating unit and part of the facilities of the second power-generating unit,” Alexander Kazarin noted.

OAO Atomproject was set up as a result of the merger of OAO VNIPIET Chief Institute and St. Petersburg’s Atomenergoproject on 1 July 2014. Atomproject is the leading company of the Russian state nuclear energy industry corporation Rosatom. The company designs nuclear facilities, conducts research and develops new-generation nuclear power technologies.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built 18km away from the town of Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The BelNPP will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. The first power-generating unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in 2018, the second one in 2020.


Virtual NPP software helps reduce construction costs

OAO Atomproject has been actively using the Virtual Nuclear Power Plant computerized program in the construction of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP), Deputy Director General Director of the Department of WWER Technology Alexander Kazarin told an online conference hosted by BelTA on 20 December.

The company is the designer of the Virtual Nuclear Power Plant program. According to Alexander Kazarin, the program will be very useful for adjusting and startup procedures at new units. “The equipment will be first tested virtually which will enhance the accuracy of works and simultaneously reduce the time period and costs,” the official said.

In his words, the Virtual Nuclear Power Plant is fully applied software. “Thanks to super computer technologies and various computation codes we were able to develop a virtual control package for nuclear power plants. The simulator conducts the most complicated technological calculations and checks the work of NPP control systems in various regimes,” Alexander Kazarin said.

OAO Atomproject was founded at the basis of OAO VNIPIET Chief Institute and St. Petersburg’s Atomenergoproject on 1 July 2014. Atomproject is the leading company of Rosatom State Corporation. The company designs nuclear facilities, conducts research and developes new-generation nuclear power technologies.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built 18km away from the town of Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The BelNPP will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. The AES-2006 design developed by the Saint Petersburg-based R&D company Atomenergoproject was chosen for building Belarus’ first nuclear power plant. The first power-generating unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in 2018, the second one in 2020.


Atomproject: AES-2006 is Russia’s major export design of nuclear technologies

The AES-2006 design which is used to build the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP) is the most popular design offered by the Russian state nuclear energy industry corporation Rosatom, Deputy Director General, Director of the WWER Technology Department of Atomproject Alexander Kazarin told an online conference hosted by BelTA on 20 December.

“The AES-2006 design is the major export design of Russian nuclear technologies,” he said. Apart from the BelNPP which main construction phase started in 2013, the Russian company signed the contract to design the Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant in Finland at the end of last year and has already started providing the customer with the primary project documents. “At the start of December our design was purchased by Hungary to build the fifth and sixth power-generating units of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Thus, the BelNPP will have both elder and younger brothers in Russia and Europe,” Alexander Kazarin said.

He noted that in Russia alone the AES-2006 design is used to build two major power-generating units of the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant (Leningrad-2 NPP). The design of another two units (the second construction phase of the Leningrad-2 NPP) is in progress. Two power-generating units of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant will also be equipped with the Water-Water Power Reactor.

The construction of the Baltic NPP is also based on the AES-2006 design. “The most advanced safety technologies are used there. The production of equipment continues; we are negotiating contracts with the future users of the electric power to be generated by the NPP,” he noted. According to Alexander Kazarin, Rosatom has decided that the Baltic NPP will focus on the export of electric power to the EU member states. “The implementation of the project has slowed down following the sanctions, but the work continues,” he added.

OAO Atomproject was set up as a result of the merger of OAO VNIPIET Chief Institute and St. Petersburg’s Atomenergoproject on 1 July 2014. Atomproject is the leading company of the Russian state nuclear energy industry corporation Rosatom. The company designs nuclear facilities, conducts research and develops new-generation nuclear power technologies.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being built 18km away from the town of Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The BelNPP will have two power-generating units with the total output capacity of up to 2,400MW (2x1,200MW). The Russian merged company OAO NIAEP – ZAO ASE is the general designer and the general contractor of the project. The first power-generating unit of the nuclear power plant is scheduled for launch in 2018, the second one in 2020.