Type: VVER-440 Model V213 (Units 1 and 2)
VVER-1000 (Unit 3)
Units: Three (one additional unit is under construction)
Total megawatts (net): 1,695 (Unit 1 - 361; Unit 2 - 384; Unit 3 - 950)
Location: Kuznetsovsk, Ukraine
Dates of initial operation:
For an overview of the principal strengths and deficiencies of Soviet-designed plants, see Soviet Nuclear Power Plant Designs.
Rovno has experienced problems with steam-generator tube breaks, which have been the subject of a number of international technical exchange activities.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, computers to aid plant operators were installed at one of Rovno's nuclear units by the Moscow Research Institute of Instrument-Making in 1992, marking the first use of such a system in a nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union. The computers will help operators make correct decisions and verify their actions.
The Ukrainian Parliament's 1990 moratorium stopped construction on a fourth unit at the site. In October 1993, the Ukrainian Parliament voted to lift the moratorium on new plant construction, citing Ukraine's energy shortage. In February 1994, then-President Kravchuk issued a directive calling for the completion by 1999 of five VVER-1000s that were under construction, including Rovno 4. The unit is about 75 percent complete.
Rovno Unit 4 could reportedly be operating at full power by July 1997. A U.S. Department of Energy report issued in July 1994 estimated the cost of bringing Unit 4 on line at $495 million: $74 million for construction completion, $193 million in start-up costs, and $228 million in safety upgrades.
Finland's IVO International, Electricité de France and Belgium's Tractebel have a European Union-funded contract to provide project management support for the completion and upgrading of Rovno 4.
U.S. Assistance. Rovno's steam generator tube break was reviewed by various international working groups, including Working Group 2 of the U.S./Soviet Joint Coordinating Committee for Civilian Nuclear Reactor Safety. The working group used the Rovno station as the basis for studies of a hypothetical loss-of-coolant scenario and, in turn, compared Rovno's results with a similar study of the South Texas Project in the United States. The U.S. team also used the Rovno plant to study anticipated transients without scram--when plant operators control an abrupt shift in temperature without shutting the plant down.
Rovno's fire-protection techniques were studied by a working group sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as part of an East-West exchange group on fire safety. Working group members assessed the plant's fire-protection standards to determine whether safe shutdowns could be carried out in the event of a fire.
Under the International Nuclear Safety Program, U.S. experts are helping to improve fire protection and operating procedures for units 1 and 2. In addition, operators are being trained in quality assurance in the United States.
Canadian Aid. Ontario Hydro International will use some of the money in Canada's nuclear safety assistance package to Ukraine to adapt Ontario Hydro's dry storage canisters for use at the Rovno plant to store VVER spent fuel assemblies. The canisters will be manufactured in Ukraine.
French Assistance. Electricité de France (EdF) signed a protocol of intent with the Rovno plant in April 1994 under which EdF will provide technical assistance and help open a line of credit with France.
Help from Germany. The German government announced in September 1994 that it would give Ukraine an electric generator for the Rovno plant's VVER-440 units. The generator was originally built for the now-closed Greifswald plant. In addition, Germany's Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) and the Ministry of Environment and Nuclear Safety have launched a program that will include a safety analysis of all three reactors at the Rovno plant and a complete evaluation of each unit's operating records. In addition, Siemens has a contract to supply loose parts, vibration and acoustic leak monitoring systems to Rovno 3.
EU's TACIS Program. Under the European Union's TACIS program, Rovno will receive about 1.6 million ECU ($2 million) of equipment from German companies: equipment for vibration monitoring of coolant pumps, steam generator manipulators and fire protection improvements.
Also under TACIS, Germany's GRS, France's Institute for Nuclear Safety & Protection (IPSN) and EdF are instructing Rovno personnel in the methodology for deterministic and probabilistic safety analysis. Based on an evaluation of plant operations, IPSN and GRS made several recommendations on organizational structure and staff duties as well as suggestions on improving safety-related equipment such as diesel generators and instrumentation and control systems. According to a Russian news agency report in June 1994, EdF will help install fireproof systems and monitor the functioning of the main circulation pumps and the steam generators. France also is said to be providing computer programs and work stations for the plant.
As part of the TACIS aid, the French company Intercontrole is supplying eddy-current inspection equipment for Rovno's steam generators. Intercontrole and Germany's Siemens will help Rovno staff carry out the first two inspections using the equipment.
Czech Agreement. According to a Ukrainian news agency report in May 1994, the Rovno plant will receive approximately $2 million worth of equipment from the Czech Republic's Skoda company under a barter arrangement. Skoda will receive electricity or goods in return. Among the equipment are spent fuel racks, which have increased storage capacity by 20 percent and provided a solution to spent fuel storage for the next 4-5 years.
WANO Exchange Visits. Under the auspices of the World Association of Nuclear Operators, Rovno plant staff have participated in several exchange visits. The plant has hosted personnel from the following plants:
In addition, personnel from Rovno have visited the following plants:
Plant Twinning. The Rovno plant is twinned with Germany's Brunsbüttel plant.
ASSET Training Seminar. An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) training seminar is scheduled to be held at the Rovno plant March 26-28, 1996 to demonstrate the practical use of the ASSET analysis procedures for self-assessment of operational events.
Inspections
OSART Mission (Unit 3). Rovno was the site of the first OSART (Operational Safety Review Team) mission to the Soviet Union by the IAEA.
The purpose of the Dec. 5-22, 1988, mission was to review operating practices at Unit 3 and allow a technical exchange of experience on pursuing excellence in operational safety.
Among the team's conclusions:
The plant is safely operated by a dedicated and motivated management team supported by a skilled workforce.
Safety is given priority consideration.
Radiation protection and environmental aspects of plant operation meet international standards.
The team offered several recommendations:
Plant management should be given more responsibility for decision-making by the Ministry of Atomic Power and Industry.
Equipment design, manufacture, installation, operation and maintenance must be verified by more effective quality assurance activities.
Plant management should revise training materials, use more modern training aids and train operators on a full-scope simulator.
ASSET Mission (Units 1 and 2). An ASSET mission visited the Rovno plant Nov. 22-Dec. 3, 1993, to review the effectiveness of the plant's policy for incident prevention. The team reviewed a total of 191 events that had occurred at units 1 and 2 between August 1988 and November 1993. Of these, 117 were considered to be safety relevant. Two events were classified as Level 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, six were classified as Level 1 and the rest, Level 0.
From its analysis of these events, the team identified 11 types or groups of recurring faults. It then identified six safety problems, singling out three for in-depth analysis:
frequent failure of diesel generators owing to inadequate maintenance,
potential for loss of two safety functions--control of reactivity and cooling of fuel--because secondary isolation, safety and dump valves were not closed,
potential for operation outside the authorized regime because of noncompliance with procedures.
The team noted that the plant had instituted measures to improve the quality and extent of procedures and to systematically analyze and learn from failures. The number of incidents had declined since 1990, which was an indication of the plant's effectiveness in managing safety, the team said. Nonetheless, the team concluded there was room for considerable improvement in the prevention of incidents. The team noted that while high standards of housekeeping existed in some areas of the plant, safe and economic operation could be radically improved in many areas of the plant through available low- or no-cost solutions.
The team made a number of recommendations. Among its suggestions to plant management:
make maintenance procedures more comprehensive and ensure that operating instructions are amended promptly,
enhance quality control to ensure independent inspection of valves and pipework prior to installation or reassembly,
review safety-relevant plant items to identify those at risk from internal or external corrosion, chemical attack or physical damage, and amend the preventive maintenance program to include inspection of the condition of these items,
enhance the policy for training and authorization of staff to include continual monitoring of staff competence and use the results of this monitoring to modify training programs,
consider establishing multidiscipline engineering support groups to solve specific problems.
Safety Review Mission (Unit 4). An IAEA safety review mission visited Rovno Oct. 2-12, 1995, to review the modernization program of Unit 4, a VVER-1000 reactor that is under construction. The program was developed on the basis of the operating experience of VVER-1000 reactors and the results of studies by Ukrainian, IAEA and other organizations.
The purpose of the mission was to review the safety aspects of the program and advise on the completeness and adequacy of the safety improvements proposed. The IAEA's draft report on VVER-1000 safety issues and their ranking served as the basis for the review. The review covered plant design and operational safety, but not upgrading measures, which are aimed only at improving plant availability.
The team concluded that the modernization program is well developed and well structured with respect to design issues. Its implementation will make a major contribution to plant safety. But the team noted that the degree of detail for individual measures in the program varies, and most descriptions were not sufficient for an in-depth technical review. The mission thus focused on reviewing the safety issues identified by the IAEA for this type of reactor.
The team found that a number of measures need to be improved, and some measures added, to meet the intent of the IAEA recommendations. The modernization program also covered some safety aspects not included in the IAEA's list of safety issues. Discussions revealed that the implementation of these new safety aspects could further contribute to improved safety. The team suggested, however, that the combined effects of the individual improvements be examined to ensure there would be no adverse effect on plant safety.
Planned ASSET Mission (Units 1 and 2). An ASSET peer review mission to Rovno is scheduled for Nov. 4-8, 1996. The mission will review the plant's analysis of events reflecting safety culture issues based on ASSET procedures.
December 1995