OREANDA-NEWS. July 06, 2010. “Rostekhnadzor has proposed the creation of an international working group on regulatory quality requirements for production and operation of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants with Russian pressurized water reactors (VVER)”, the supervisory authority press service reported.

This proposal was announced during the forum meeting of regulatory authorities of the countries operating VVER reactors, which was held on June 16- 17, 2010 in Hungary.

The meeting was requested to establish two working groups.

“The goal of the first working group is to develop regulatory requirements for manufacturing quality and safety justification of the use of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants with VVER reactors. Rostekhnadzor initiated the creation of this working group, and it was unanimously supported by all participants of the forum. It is planned to carry the first meeting of the new working group in Russia in November, 2010", says Head of the Russian Delegation, Deputy Head of Rostekhnadzor Valeria Bezzubtseva. The function of the second working group will involve the exchange of information on safety requirements for extension of the operating life-span of nuclear power plants with VVER reactors. The proposal for the establishment of this working group was made by a representative from Armenia. The next meeting of the Forum is tentatively scheduled for June 2011 and will be held in Slovakia.

The meeting was attended by the leaders and representatives of regulatory authorities of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, Iran, India, Hungary, Armenia, Ukraine, as well as the representative regulatory authority of Germany and the IAEA who participated in the meeting as observers. Apart from Russia, the VVER-type reactors are used in several European countries, at Armenia, China and Taiwan NPPs (VVER-1000).