OREANDA-NEWS. January 28, 2009. “We would like to thank the European Commission for starting this year at Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant as here we have lots of things to discuss. This is our biggest and most efficient plant,” Head of International Activities Department of Energoatom Concern Anatoly Kirichenko said while addressing the members of the coordinating committee of Smolensk Onsite Assistance Program. The meeting took place at Smolensk NPP Jan 21–22 2009.

The Smolensk Onsite Assistance contract, signed by Smolensk NPP, Energoatom Concern and the European Commission in June 2006, gave start to a large-scale three-year TACIS nuclear safety program. “Smolensky Atom,” as constant witness of the numerous meetings of Russian and foreign partners, has regularly informed its readers about the course of the program.

Five projects are being carried out at Smolensk NPP for the moment: the contracts envisage delivery of radioactive waste treatment equipment (project manager – Head of Radioactive Waste Treatment Department Pyotr Kachan) and personnel address system (project manager – Dead of Technological Control Service Oleg Penkin).

The parties are also implementing five projects in the field of consultative services and exchange of experience:
Improvement of Safety Culture (project manager – Deputy Chief Engineer for Safety Alexander Abaimov);
Management of Organizational Changes (project manager – Deputy Chief Engineer for Personnel Management-Head of Training Department Oleg Sarayev);
Living Probabilistic Safety Assessment (project manager – Deputy Chief Engineer for Operation Vladimir Zakharenko);
Management of Radioactive Waste (project manager – Head of Radioactive Waste Treatment Department Pyotr Kachan);
Operational Support (project manager – Head of Technological Control Department Vladimir Pashichev).

All of the projects are near completion. The results will be summed up at Smolensk NPP in May 2009.

Today, we can say that despite all problems the cooperation of our specialists with their foreign partners has given good results – all of the goals set by the program have been achieved.

59 of 107 EU projects that are being implemented at the Russian nuclear power plants for the moment will finish this year.