On May 22 fire and tactical trainings on extinguishment of a conditional fire in heating oil warehouse of Industrial Heating Plant (IHP) took place at industrial site of SSE Chernobyl NPP.

13 units of equipment were used and more than 50 people of SFPD-1 staff patrolling SSE ChNPP and of SFPD-2 patrolling Chernobyl Exclusion zone took part in these trainings.

According to the scenario the conditional fire at the black oil tank No. 2 occurred as a result of explosion of mixture of a combustible liquid evaporation with air in free volume of the tank. Complete destruction of the tank’s cover with the subsequent burning of black oil on all area of the tank surface (408 sq.m) occurred as a result of explosion. Threat of a fire distribution on the next tank was arisen under influence of a thermal flow from the burning tank.

Extinguishment was carried out using a foam and simultaneous cooling of the burning and adjacent tank with water.

This conditional fire according to classification is referred to the most difficult, therefore the maximum quantity of equipment and staff was involved in its extinguishment.

Trainings on refinement of skills in rescue and emergence actions in case of emergency situation occurrence annually are carried out at Chernobyl NPP territory according to the plans, approved by the Emergencies Ministry. It is expected that in September, 2012 the fire brigade from Slovakia will take part in such trainings.

To support activities on decommissioning of Chernobyl NPP Units and Shelter transformation into ecologically safe system, a number of international projects are being implemented on Chernobyl NPP site, the detail information of which you can find on our web page. Many of them are under completion and some of them are at the initial stage. Please see below a brief review of current status of the international projects being implemented.

Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP)
The Project is financed from Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF). Nowadays, the major attention is focused on works on New Safe Confinement construction. Based on work scope under the contract, they are divided into six license packages (LP). The works on two of them, namely cleanup of construction site and works on arranging tranches, pits, foundations for hoist towers, working platform for the Arch assembling, have been completed. The Arch foundations design within assembling and sliding area is under completion stage. The License Package for major building (LP-5), including foundations, metal structures, casing and technological facilities, was approved in December 2011. The activities on License Package LP-6 are currently being continued envisaging an integration of whole NSC Project. On April 26, 2012, at 26th anniversary of ChNPP accident, the works on the Arch structures assembling were commenced. The completion of NSC construction is expected in 2015. After this, an equally important stage will commence associated with dismantling of “old” Shelter and FCM retrieval and disposal. It is supposed to have hard and strenuous work, for which one should prepare carefully. It is designed for long-term period and associated with large financial expenses.

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On May 4, 2012, the delegation of Rosenergoatom Management (Russia) headed by Mr. Romanov Yevgeniy, General Director, has visited industrial site of Chernobyl NPP. The delegation also included people well-known at ChNPP and now working at Rosenergoatom, namely Mr. Asmolov Vladimir, First Deputy General Director, Mr. Sorokin Nikolay, Deputy General Director – General Inspector.

During the visit, the guests inspected local zone of Shelter Object (SO), where currently physical works on New Safe Confinement construction are being carried out, got familiar with up-to-date condition of the facility, with results of “Stabilization of unstable building structures” project aimed at improvement of its safety, as well as visited internal premises of the Shelter.

After familiarization with the site, the meeting was held, where participants discussed a need to preserve and extend advanced experience in assuring safety of nuclear facilities, commonality of problems the operating organizations (operators) facing in both countries, the responsibility of the Chief Designer, General Developer and Scientific Project Manager of NPP Unit for scientific and engineering support of the facility at all stages of lifecycle (including decommissioning), and during accident consequences elimination.

In the framework of the meeting held, Rosenergoatom Management and SSE ChNPP Administration have discussed a potential to cooperate in improving safety of Chernobyl NPP Units, particularly, issues on sharing the information regarding safety assurance of nuclear facilities, a necessity to perform mutual research-development and design works, etc.

The first lot consisting of 149 tons of metal structures for central segment of the Arch of the first lift has been delivered to customs warehouses of Chernobyl NPP site. The structures are produced at Italian plant “Chimalay” and delivered to Ukraine by railway.

As Mr. Vladimir Kashtanov, Chief Engineer of Shelter Implementation Plan Project, informed, the second lot, 1,030 tons, was loaded on ship board on March 14 in Italy and will be delivered to Ukraine by sea. This lot is expected to receive on March 20-25 at Odessa seaport. After unloading, it will be delivered to Chernobyl site by motor transport.

Physical works on assembling Arch structures will commence in April 2012. The assembling will be carried out at mounting platform built specially for this purpose within local zone of Shelter Object.

In total, more than 20,000 tons of metal structures will be imported to Ukraine for arched structure of New Safe Confinement.

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