20.04.2007 // Press service of Nuclear Power Industry

On Apr 20 First Vice Premier of Russia Sergey Ivanov and the head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko paid an official visit to Vladimir region

They visited Kovrov Mechanical Plant and attended the presentation of the Russian Gas Centrifuge project. This government project is aimed at consolidating gas centrifuge design and production assets. This year the plant started to produce gas centrifuges on a serial basis.

Kiriyenko said: “Such consolidation will ensure high efficiency of the centrifuge production and will allow us to rationally use its potential and to ensure the active development and high competitiveness of our uranium enrichment industry.”

Ivanov said that Russia has ambitious plans in the nuclear power industry. “We are planning to substantially increase NPP construction in Russia and abroad.”

During the visit Ivanov asked the personnel about the conditions of their work and the wages. They said that the average salary at the plant is 10,000 RUR. “Unlike Uralmash (which Ivanov visited on Apr 19) and some plants in St. Petersburg, you have clear tasks and have no problems with the future. We guarantee that you will have work: we are planning to substantially increase NPP construction in Russia and abroad and the demand for your production will be constantly growing,” Ivanov said.

He tried to make a centrifuge cover on a turning lathe with programmed numerical control. At first, he was hesitating as he thought that it was a hard job, but the employee of the plant Konstantin Kanpov calmed him down. Ivanov put on linen gloves, mounted the sub-product on the lathe, pressed the pedal down, closed the cover …and had just to wait for a ready product to come out. “Quality inspector is coming,” the director of the plant Maxim Kovalchuk joked. Ivanov joked back: “Haven’t I told you — if anything is wrong it’s not my fault.” He put his signature on the ready product and said: “Thanks for the lesson. It was not hard. I wish we had more such machines.” Kanpov could not say for sure what they would do with the cover: send it to the museum or use it in the production.

Then Ivanov and Kiriyeno visited the plant’s mechanical assembly department. Kovalchuk showed them the scheme of the nuclear fuel cycle and said that there are two methods of uranium enrichment: gas diffusion and gas centrifugal. The former technology was developed in 1944–1945 and is used in the United States. The latter one was born in the USSR: the first centrifuge was made in 1953, the first plant was launched in 1957. “As always we in Russia tackle up slowly but ride quickly,” Ivanov noted. Kovalchuk said that Russia is 15 years ahead of the US and Europe in the sphere and holds 41% of the centrifuge market. He is sure that this production will be actively used under the program for increasing the share of nuclear energy to 25%. “We will not be able to solve this task without restructuring the industry and consolidating its assets,” Kovalchuk said.

He showed the guests various centrifuge components: plugs, screws, nuts. “The name is very simple “nozzle” – but I would never guess it is a nozzle if I hadn’t read its name,” Ivanov said.

Then the guests went to the secret part of the plant without journalists.