Rivne NPP

2022

Pavel Kovtonyuk appointed general director of the Rivne NPP

In October 2022, the president of the state-owned enterprise NAEK Energoatom Petr Kotin appointed the general director of the Rivne NPP, Pavel Kovtonyuk became him. This was reported by the press service of Energoatom.

Since the end of June, Kovtonyuk served as general director of the Rivne NPP. He has more than 35 years of experience at this energy facility, of which he served as chief engineer and deputy general director for almost 14 years.

In addition, Vyacheslav Stoyanov, who has been acting in this post for the past four months, has been appointed chief engineer - first deputy general director of the RAES.

Alexey Prokopenko has been appointed deputy general director for physical protection and regime since October 31, and Bogdan Shmigelsky has been appointed deputy general director for personnel since October 27.

Westinghouse Pilot Fuel Operation

In July 2022, it became known that Westinghouse fuel assemblies (FAs) were loaded into the reactor core of the 3rd power unit of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). This was reported by the press service of the State Inspection of Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine (State Atomic Regulation of Ukraine).

While we are talking about partial filling of the core, the fuel will be subjected to trial operation, after which the stage of industrial operation will begin. The increase in the share of fuel from Westinghouse in the reactor core of the 3rd power unit of the Rivne NPP will occur in stages.

The 3rd power unit of the Rivne NPP was the 7th out of 13 power units with VVER-1000-type reactors at Ukrainian nuclear power plants, into which Westinghouse FAs are loaded.

Earlier, within the framework of the Westinghouse fuel VVER-1000 diversification program, 6 power units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants worked: the 2nd and 3rd power units of the South Ukrainian nuclear power plants and the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th power units of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plants.

The agency states that during the operation of the Westinghouse fuel assembly in 2015-2022. no violations of the conditions for the safe operation of power units VVER-1000 recorded at the reactors.

In addition, the State Atomic Regulation of Ukraine has begun a state examination of the nuclear and radiation safety of materials justifying the introduction of an alternative fuel assembly manufactured by Westinghouse for reactors of type VVER-440, which are used at the 1st and 2nd power units of the Rivne NPP.

2019: Westinghouse Fuel Transition Memorandum and Meeting

In October 2019, specialists from NAEK Energoatom, Rivne NPP and a separate unit (OP) Atomenergomash took part in the launch meeting to discuss the introduction of nuclear fuel manufactured by Westinghouse (USA) at power units No. 1 and No. 2 (VVER-440) of the RAES.

Rivne NPP at the meeting, which took place at Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB (Westeros, Sweden), was represented by Deputy Chief Engineer of the RAES for Nuclear and Radiation Safety Dmitry Galkin and Deputy Head of the Nuclear Safety Department Viktor Grabko.

According to Dmitry Galkin, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Russian Nuclear Power Plant for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, the event studied foreign experience in the operation of American Westinghouse fuel in type VVER-440 reactors (using the example of operation at the Loviis NPP (Finland) and the possibility of introducing Westinghouse fuel at power units No. 1, 2 (VVER-440) of the Rivne NPP.

During the meeting, the Westinghouse campaign approaches for the manufacture of fuel assemblies (FAs) for VVER-440 reactor plants were presented. The goals and schedules of the memorandum of understanding and cooperation in the nuclear energy industry, which was signed in early September 2019, the presentation of the fuel project NOVA-E3 and the experience of its operation, discussed the work plan for further cooperation and licensing, the draft of which has already been prepared by NAEK Energoatom, the procedure for creating working groups on licensing and technical and economic assessment. In addition, Atomnergomash OP is considered as a location for the production of FA components for VVER-440 power units.

For their part, Ukrainian nuclear scientists presented general information about power units No. 1.2 of the RNPP, in particular about the experience and extension of their service life, specific technical characteristics of power units, the use of collecting screens, fuel design, planned modifications of the reactor plant that can affect the reactor core, FA and FA licensing.

In more detail, the participants of the event discussed the restoration of production processes necessary for the release of fuel for VVER-440-type reactors, which at that time among Ukrainian power units is operated only at the Rivne NPP.

"Westinghouse already has positive experience in the production and operation of fuel for reactors, VVER-440 it was previously supplied for the Finnish Loviis nuclear power plant. In 2009, fuel assemblies for VVER-440 were discontinued. Production lines were dismantled, but documentation, fuel production equipment and shipping containers are now stored at the ENUSA plant (Spain).

In 2014, Westinghouse assessed the possibility of restoring production. In the period 2015-2017, studies on the ESSANUF project were carried out, in which the research was focused on modifying the design of the fuel assembly in order to improve the characteristics of fuel use. Westinghouse's existing proposal is based on a design that was operated at the Finnish nuclear power plant, but with improvements in the replacement of materials to improve the reliability of the design. The restoration of fuel assembly production will be carried out at the facilities of the ENUSA plant, "commented Dmitry Galkin.

Diversification of nuclear fuel sources for VVER-440 reactors is another promising area of ​ ​ the company's cooperation with Westinghouse. Based on the results of discussions of the licensing group, a draft "Westinghouse Fuel Licensing Program for VVER-440 Power Units No. 1, 2 of OP RAES" was developed. At NAEK Energoatom, a technical meeting is planned on ways to introduce American fuel at the "small" power units of the Rivne NPP.

2018: Westinghouse fuel supply plan from 2021

Westinghouse Electric will begin supplying its nuclear fuel to power unit No. 3 of the Rivne nuclear power plant in 2021. This was announced in February 2018 by Vice President and Managing Director of Westinghouse Aziz Dag.

"The newly signed contract is the extension and expansion of the previous contract with Energoatom, thanks to which we will supply fuel not to 6 power units, but to 7. This will be power unit No. 3 of the Rivne NPP. This is a new station for Westinghouse, and we will supply fuel there for the first time, "he^[1] begin supplying^[1]

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