KYIV. Oct 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – On Tuesday, October 20, at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant NPP) EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Tombinski officially handed over worth EUR 14 million in state-of-the-art equipment purchased by the EU to the National Training Centre to be commissioned in 2016 at the Zaporizhia NPP, the press service of the Delegation of the EU to Ukraine has reported.
“Co-financed between the European Union and the Ukrainian Government, this National Training Centre is a state-of-the-art nuclear power unit maintenance training facility. It is equipped with a full-scale simulator of a VVER nuclear unit,” reads the report.
When opened for full operation in 2016, it will deliver maintenance trainings based on best international practice to maintenance personnel from the National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom’s fleet of VVER nuclear power units, which are located at four nuclear power plants across Ukraine.
The training centre’s first of a kind simulator of a nuclear power unit will facilitate training and qualification of maintenance staff utilizing a variety of full scope equipment models, in simulated environmental conditions. This will ensure maintenance actions to be carried out on installed operational equipment, and being implemented to the highest standards of safety for both the maintenance personnel and equipment to be maintained.
In addition to maintenance training, the project has established a management training system within Energoatom. The management training, which is also based on international best practice, emulates management principles and practices employed by international nuclear operators that are considered to be the best in class.
According to the report, the combined results of these two key elements will provide Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom with the means to support the safe implementation of the country’s energy strategy regarding electricity generation from nuclear power.
“The European Union and Ukraine see this unique Training Centre as a very important corner stone in our long-lasting cooperation on nuclear safety. With this Centre, the EU and Ukraine demonstrate their joint commitment to a stronger nuclear safety culture worldwide,” Tombinski said.
The event was as well attended by Oleksandr Svetelyk, Deputy Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine and Yuriy Nedashkovsky, President Energoatom.
