IAEA Praises Safety At Russia’s Leningrad, But Says Improvements Are Needed

1 Dec (NucNet): The operator of the Leningrad nuclear power station in Russia has shown a commitment to safety and is taking many improvement initiatives, although additional improvement is needed, an International Atomic Energy Agency Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) has concluded. The team said the operator, Rosenergoatom, should consider the use of leading indicators to improve its performance. It should consider strengthening its radiation protection programme and regularly reviewing its chemistry surveillance and control programme. Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of state nuclear corporation Rosatom, operates all of Russia’s 35 commercial nuclear units. Leningrad, about 100km west of St Petersburg, has four light water-cooled graphite-moderated reactors (RBMK-1000s). The OSART mission was to Unit 4, which began commercial operation in August 1981. The OSART team identified good practices that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally, including the use of a full-scope simulator for emergency training drills; the development of a system to control corrosion processes in the generator’s stator winding; and the use of probabilistic safety assessment applications in decision-making and training of staff.