Novovoronezh NPP brings 5th unit online after repairs, fuel reloading
VORONEZH. Aug 30 (Interfax) - The Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has brought its fifth power unit online after completing repair work, the NPP said in a statement.
The fifth unit's turbo generator TG-14 was powered up at 7:14 p.m. Moscow time on Wednesday. The unit was powered down for planned preventive repairs and nuclear fuel reloading.
Maintenance involved developing and repairing turbine equipment and the reactor compartment, as well as monitoring the state of the metal on the reactor and its upper unit with core refueling. In addition, capital repairs and maintenance were performed on the steam generators, the main circulating pumps and their electric motors, and maintenance was carried out on the main shut-off valves.
At present, the Novovoronezh NPP's third and fourth units are operating in standard mode. One turbine generator is running at the fifth unit, and the second one should be launched in the near future.
There have been no violations of the safety limits and conditions, and the radiation situation at the NPP is within the norm. The average values of background radiation at population points around the NPP have not changed and correspond to the level of natural background values characteristic of the Central European part of Russia.
The Novovoronezh NPP, a branch of OJSC Concern Rosenergoatom, is located on the shore of the Don River, 42 kilometers south of Voronezh. It is Russia's first NPP with VVER reactors. At present, three of its power units are in operation, as its first and second were powered down in 1988 and 1990, respectively.