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“The tests of the first reactor equipment that began today are 75 percent. Power,” the report said.
It is stated that the purpose of these tests is to verify the reliability and safety of all systems and equipment.
“Once the power level of each reactor (75-90-100%) has been reached, the tests will be carried out with load reduction. The test program also foresees planned shutdowns of the power plant, ”adds the ministry.
As already announced, the Department of Nuclear and Radiation Safety (Gosatomnadzor) of the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations has issued a permit to the Astrava nuclear power plant to start the pilot industrial operation phase of the first reactor.
Astrava’s first reactor was reconnected to the country’s power system on December 21.
The first nuclear power plant in Belarus under construction near the Lithuanian state will have two reactors from the Russian VVER project, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts.
The first reactor is scheduled for industrial commissioning in the first quarter of next year, and the second reactor is expected to enter service in about a year.
The project is financed by a loan from the Russian government. The power plant is being built by the Rosatom Corporation.
Astravas nuclear power plant safety recommendations remain unimplemented – VATESI
After Belarus announced on Tuesday the pilot industrial operation of the first reactor of the Astrava nuclear power plant (CN), the Lithuanian State Atomic Energy Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) emphasizes that the work continues without implementing all the recommendations of improved security.
According to VATESI, it has not received, either directly or through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), information publicly announced by the Belarusian Emergency Situations Ministry (ESM) that a permit has been issued for the pilot industrial operation. of the first energy unit. The Inspection had requested the ESM to provide this type of information.
In a letter to the ESM dated 10 December this year, the Inspectorate reiterated the problem of the condition of the reactor backup cooling system and asked the Belarusian ESM to quickly provide information to both the public and other interested parties on all events. unusual.
Earlier in September, in a letter from VATESI, the MEDE requested clarification on the security documentation that the licensee had to submit before each start-up phase to obtain a special permit (license) from this Belarusian ministry and how long had to do a thorough review before issuing such permits. .
“Unfortunately, the MEDE did not provide such explanations to VATESI either before the previous stages or in relation to this permit to start the pilot industrial operation of the power unit,” says the Inspection.
The Inspection considers it advisable to suspend the commissioning of the unit until all the safety problems identified by ENSREG and other international experts have been resolved.
The Lithuanian authority also recalled that it was still awaiting responses to several previous letters that raise safety issues related to the selection and evaluation of the site, the resistance of the Astrava nuclear power plant project to seismic events and the impact of a commercial airplane accident. Important, the implementation of the stress test recommendations, probable safety assessment, fire risk assessment and other safety issues.
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