25.01.2008 // Smolensky Atom

Results of the work of Information and PR Center of Smolensk NPP in 2007

Nuclear power plants are traditionally in the spotlight. No surprise: the safe and efficient work of an NPP is guarantee of the welfare of the people living nearby. People living near an NPP begin to regard it as part of their life and to share its concerns and joys. An information center is the key link between an NPP and the population. The key priorities of the Information and PR Center of Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is to provide people with reliable information, to timely react to changes in the public opinion, to explain to people what happens at the plant and why, to popularize nuclear energy among the population, to organize joint events.

The head of the PR department of the Center Irina Chertkova-Arefyeva and the head of the mass media department Yevgenia Prishletsova have told us about the key results of the Center’s work in 2007.

Irina Chertkova-Arefyeva:

2007 was a special year for us: we marked the 25th birthday of Smolensk NPP. December was especially eventful. A great number of people expressed wish to visit our plant, so, we conducted 2–3 excursions a week instead of usual 2 excursions a month. There were many veterans among the visitors: they came to see what had changed at the plant and to meet with their former colleagues. Twice a month we took part in the jubilee meetings of the Council of Veterans and wrote about them in our corporate newspaper.

At the end of the year we organized a big event: a contest of children’s art “Smolensk Prometheuses are 25.” Over 100 children presented their literary works and paintings. All the works were excellent and it was hard to determine the winners.

The best poems, stories, tales and essays were published in Smolensky Atom newspaper. The poem “Desnogorsk – My City” by the pupil of the ninth form Daria Molotova was proclaimed the best. Daria recited the poem during the awarding ceremony and everybody saw that it was really good.

It is hard to describe the paintings, you should see them yourselves. The best works were exhibited in the hall of Neitrino Culture House. I liked the drawing of Daria Butakova: Smolensk NPP amid red poppies – it was a very beautiful and bright picture.

The awarding ceremony was a real holiday. Lots of parents and grandparents came to support their children. Our specialists showed them a film about Smolensk NPP. We encouraged the children by saying that participation is more important than victory. We tried to make that day unforgettable for the children and, judging from their happy faces, we succeeded. Each participant was given a memorable calendar “Smolensk NPP-2008.” A huge cake with a “25” figure crowned the evening.

In 2007 we organized a number of open ecology lessons at schools and conducted scientific-practical conference “Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant: Ecology of the Region.”

Jointly with our colleagues from the Training Department and the Council of Veterans we organized different contests among schoolchildren and students. The professional orientation of schoolchildren and students is our priority. We must orient the younger generation towards nuclear energy and science and help them to develop their research and creative potential. Our children take an active part in international contests: two projects by our schoolchildren have won in “We are the Children of Atom-City” contest; 13 works were presented at “Energy of the Future” contest.

Over 400 schoolchildren from the villages of the monitoring zone attended New Year’s matinees. We organized lots of meetings and excursions, for example, the last meeting with a group of Byelorussian nuclear power engineers. We actively cooperated with public organizations and political parties.

I would like to note that last year our specialists Natalia Shamina and Roma Petrov worked perfectly. Our newcomer, the graduate of the PR Department of Ivanovo State Power Engineering University Olga Potekhina got actively involved in our work. As the head of the center, I am glad that we have highly-qualified and communicative youths, who will become our worthy successors.  

We are ready to help all Desnogorsk students majoring in public relations and offer them probation and consultation.

That’s what we did last year but we have even more to do this year. Particularly, we are going to continue our ecological and professional orientation projects.

Our key tasks for the near future are to select the best works submitted to “Smolensk Prometheuses are 25” contest for their participation in “Energy of the Future” contest and to organize a meeting of the authors of the works with specialists of Smolensk NPP so the former can get additional information for their research.

Yevgenia Prishletsova:

Our center carries out big work to provide people with objective information about the plant and its performance. Lack of objective information results in rumors and allegations. We actively cooperate with corporate, municipal and regional mass media.

Every week we issue Smolensky Atom newspaper and disseminate it among our employees and the residents of Desnogorsk and the nearby settlements. In 2007 we had 51 issues covering the sports, cultural, socially-oriented and other activities of our workers.

We also have a radio studio. Last year it broadcast hundreds of programs and interviews covering a wide range of problems. The radio provides our employees with the last news and welcomes them each morning with pleasant music. 

We have a studio at Desna TV channel and two special programs -  “News of Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant” and “Our Times” – informing the residents of Desnogorsk about the life of Smolensk NPP. In 2007 we appeared on TV over 60 times and prepared two video films: “Results of 2007” and “25 Years of Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant.”

We believe that TV is very important for us. Smolensk NPP is a closed facility: if you want to see it, you will have to get a special permission. That’s exactly why we have made this program: so you can switch on your TV and see it without leaving your home. TV is a window into our plant: you can watch our program and see what is going on at Smolensk NPP.

Our center cooperates with local and regional newspapers – Rabochy Put, Smolenskaya Gazeta, Smolenskiye Novosti, Smolenskiye Gubernskiye FVedomosti, Argumenty i Fakty Smolensk, Komsomolskaya Pravda Smolensk as well as with radio Smolensk, Smolenskaya Vesna, radio of Roslavl and Desnogorsk, Smolensk TV companies. Each week we issues press statements and articles and organize press-conferences and meetings with specialists. Any person wishing to know something about our plant will find our information in whatever form he likes: on radio, on TV, in newspaper.
 
On the initiative of our director, we have started a new information campaign: we broadcast audio recordings of our programs on buses going from Desnogorsk to Smolensk NPP and back. This format has proved to be quite interesting for not only our employees but for ordinary people. So, you see that the residents of Desnogorsk are well informed of the work of Smolensk NPP.

We have excellent correspondents and editors: editor of Smolensky Atom newspaper Inna Kosenkova, correspondent of Radio of Smolensk NPP Yelena Markova, head of PR Department Irina Chetkova-Arefyeva, specialist of PR and Information Center Olga Potekhina and editor of Desna TV Yevgenia Koval. On the occasion of the Day of the Russian Press, the director of Smolensk NPP A.Petrov presented our employees with letters of gratitude. It was a good stimulus for us and we are ready to further improve our work so people know the truth about Smolensk NPP. We are a good team and all our achievements are our common victory.

Olga Terekhova