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    Main Cranes System was tested after modification from February 18 till February 22 at New Safe Confinement site.

    The purpose of the tests was to demonstrate the safe system operation after installation of additional elements on the cranes bridges.

    The Main Cranes System (hereinafter: MCS) is a complex of equipment that will be a key tool for the Shelter object dismantling. It includes 2 beams, which can move independently under NSC arch. The system is remotely controlled from the technological building.

    Earlier the problem of exceeding of the torque of electric motors on MCS bridges drives was revealed during inspections. After implementation of a series of measures to eliminate the causes, the company of cranes manufacturer PAR Systems (USA) has implemented a number of measures related to MCS mechanical part and control system.

    From 19 to 21 February 2019, ChNPP Training Centre hosted an International Atomic Energy Agency expert mission aimed at reviewing and providing expert recommendations on the sampling and characterization methods for solid radioactive waste (hereinafter RAW) retrieved from solid waste storage facilities, as well as identifying radionuclide vectors and measuring activity of RAW packages.

    Currently, ChNPP is preparing for the third stage of hot tests with the actual waste scheduled to commence in the second half of the year. As part of preparation for the tests, sampling and characterization of solid RAW was carried out retrieved from the so called light compartments of the solid waste storage facility.

    These compartments were being filled with waste during the period from 1978 to 1988, and currently contain over one thousand cubic metres of RAW.

    On February 13, a fire training took place at Chornobyl NPP. Administrative Building No 1, being the office for Plant’s management and key services and departments was a subject for the training.

    Similar events are held annually in order to improve a mechanism for safe evacuation of people in the case of a fire.

    According to the scenario, a fire was occurred at the second floor in the technical library premises. Actions of the personnel in case of a fire and its interaction with the fire and rescue brigades were exercised during the training.

    "There were no difficulties. All acted very well. Overall assessment of the training is satisfactory. All were evacuated on time, even under condition that the personnel was evacuated through the access control system (using the digital entry badge). 170 people left the building within 6 minutes", — summarizes Dmitro Gulyaev, Deputy Head of Departmental Fire Safety Supervision Department.

    Evacuation through the access control system allowed to control the number of persons left the building.

    On February 12, the State Agency for Management of Exclusion Zone Board was held at the Chornobyl NPP, which was aimed at summarization of the activity of all enterprises subordinated to SAUEZM and identification of the directions of activity for the current year. In addition to the Exclusion zone's enterprises managers representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, SNRIU, State Environmental Inspectorate, NNEGC "Energoatom", Atom-trade unions and local communities, bordering EZ were invited to participate in the Board.

    As the SAUEZM chairman Vitaliy Petruk stated in his report, 17 enterprises and 4 institutions, employing 6077 persons, are under the sphere of SAUEZM management. In his report, he presented the main achievements in the work, in particular, on approval of the changes to the National Program for Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning and the Shelter Object transformation into environmentally safe system by the Verkhovna Rada. Due to renewal of the targeted use of funds from the State Fund for Radioactive Waste Management in December 2018, first phase of construction works at Vector Complex was completed, preparation for NSC and ISF-2operation is close to completion.

    As previously reported, the pre-commissioning activities, individual and integrated tests of equipment and technological systems of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) are in progress at the ChNPP industrial site.

    JV NOVARKA and SSE ChNPP personnel have recently performed the integrated testing of the NSC radiation monitoring system, power supply system under the “complete blackout” scenario and fire protection system, during which emergency situations were simulated and response of separate systems was checked. Prior to start of the final stage of integrated testing of the entire complex of NSC (Commissioning Stage No.1), it is necessary in a similar manner to complete the integrated testing of some more technological systems. During “trial” operation within 72 hours almost all equipment and all systems will be involved in operation under the design conditions. The trial operation will be carried out by SSE ChNPP personnel under the control of the contracting company, i.e. JV NOVARKA.

    1. Conference INUDECO 2019
    2. Permit for operation of the enclosure perimeter has been obtained
    3. Chornobyl Decommissioning Visualization Center: to model the safety
    4. Checking of NSC main function — prevention of radioactive release

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