20.09.2007 // Information Department of Leningrad NPP

The commanders of the emergency training at Leningrad NPP have summed up intermediate results — the final verdict is to be passed by a government commission

While commenting on the results of the past emergency training at Leningrad NPP, the head of the Emergency Response Group, the technical director of Rosenergoatom Nikolay Sorokin said:

“It was a planned training. Its results are to be examined by a special government commission. Particularly, they will consider how effectively the federal and regional authorities interact in localizing accidents at NPPs.”

The training had several peculiarities. One of them was the use of a full-scale simulator, the other — the participation of two emergency centers – Novovoronezh and St.Petersburg.

All the tasks have been fulfilled. The experts have given the training GOOD mark.

“The analysis of the results will help us to further improve our emergency planning and response system,” Sorokin said.

Asked why GOOD and not EXCELLENT, Sorokin said: “Once you start to believe that you are the best, your are beginning to degrade.”

Maxim Haroutiunyan from Armenian NPP was less critical. He said that the training was excellent. “We have much to learn from you. In the coming month we are also planning a training and we will certainly use the experience we have acquired here.”

The director of Leningrad NPP Valery Lebedev pointed out that the plant did huge work within a short period of time. “We had prepared for the training most thoroughly. 1,086 people were involved in it – over 60% of them were from Leningrad NPP.”

The head of the Chief Department of the Emergency Ministry for Leningrad NPP Vladimir Kudryavtsev said that Leningrad NPP is probably one of the safest companies in Leningrad region. The plant’s personnel and equipment are fully prepared for possible emergencies and for effective interaction with the Emergency Ministry.

“For us, the training is not over. We are going to sum up the results within some 10 days,” Kudryavtsev said.

The head of the Sosnovy Bor administration Dmitry Puliayevsky said: “We are going to thoroughly analyze the results of the training in order to detect bottlenecks and to report our residents about them.”

Sorokin supported Puliayevsky’s proposals and instructed a relevant body to do relevant work.

The organizers noted that during the training they tested the technology of mass insurance payments.

The deputy director general of Rosenergoatom Jumberi Tkebuchava said that SOGAZ and MAKS insurance companies performed quite well. They are the leaders of the Russian insurance pool and insure NPP’s liability to third persons through a contract with Rosenergoatom in line with the relevant Vienna convention. According to the scenario, the companies transferred 14.2mln RUR to the Concern’s account so it could pay indemnity to each victim of the accident.

Note

Leningrad NPP is situated on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea 80 km west of St.Petersburg.

Since Apr 1 2002 Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has been the branch of Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian State Concern for Production of Electric and Thermal Power at Nuclear Power Plants” (Rosenergoatom Concern).

The plant has four units with RBMK-1000 reactors with a total capacity of 4000 MW. It employs 5,977 people: 5,635 industrial employees and 342 non-industrial employees and pays them 26,695 RUR a month: 27,306 RUR to industrial personnel and 11,380 RUR to non-industrial personnel.

Leningrad NPP enjoys a large geography of international contacts: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the UK, Germany, Canada. The plant has received journalists and NGO representatives from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, France, SAR, Tunisia, China, Korea, Taiwan, Belgium, Argentina and Italy; consuls general of Japan, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands; a delegation of the Consulate General of the United States; energy ministers of Denmark and Canada; senators from France and the US; a delegation of the European Parliament; the IAEA Director General.