July-August 2019 NPJ

Nuclear Plant Journal, July-August 2019 NuclearPlantJournal.com 11 implemented within the framework of preparation for the stage of hydraulic tests of the systems and equipment for the primary and secondary circuits of the unit reactor plant (RP). Belarus NPP equipped with two VVER-1200 reactors making 2400 MW in total is being constructed according to the Russian 3+ generation design that fully complies with the safety related international standards and recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Contact: ASE, telephone: 7 (831)421-79-00, website: ase-ec.ru/en/ Barakah The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) has officially certified Nawah Energy’s first group of operators for the Barakah nuclear power plant. Certification of operators is a key requirement for the issue of the plant’s operating license. Certification of the 15 senior reactor operators and reactor operators, ensuring their competence to operate the nuclear plant, was described by FANR Director General Christer Viktorsson as a “major milestone” for the UAE nuclear energy programme. The group has completed a three- year training programme developed by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) and its operations and maintenance subsidiary Nawah Energy Company according to FANR regulations. The programme, which was verified and inspected throughout by FANR, included hands-on experience as well as a discipline-focused curriculum, with the first group of operators having the opportunity to train in South Africa, South Korea and the USA as well as the UAE. FANR said it will verify Nawah’s refresher training programme every two years, including provision for periodic confirmation of operator competency in line with regulatory requirements. Source: World Nuclear News , website: www.world-nuclear-news.org Czech Republic The Czech government has given preliminary approval for Elektrárna Dukovany II - a subsidiary of utility Č EZ - to build at least one new nuclear power unit. The decision was announced in a government resolution published yesterday by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Czech Republic’s state energy policy, approved by the country’s cabinet in June 2015, foresees one new unit at Dukovany, and possibly three more at the Dukovany and Temelín sites. The cabinet at that time recommended that utility Č EZ, which owns and operates the country’s two nuclear power plants at Dukovany and Temelín, should create a subsidiary company to prepare construction plans and explore options for financing the new reactors. According to the resolution published, the government will provide Č EZ, which is 70% state-owned, with guarantees to help it secure cheaper financing. A decision on construction of a unit at the Dukovany site is still years away with suppliers expected to be chosen by 2024. First, one new reactor of at least 1200 MW would be built at the existing Dukovany site by around 2035, to replace the four units in operation there that are expected to be permanently shut down between 2035 and 2037. The government also expects to add new capacity at Č EZ’s Temelín site at some point later. Source: World Nuclear News , website: www.world-nuclear-news.org Taishan 2 Unit 2 of the Taishan nuclear power plant in China’s Guangdong province has been connected to the electricity grid, becoming the second EPR reactor to reach the commissioning milestone after Taishan 1. Unit 2 is expected to enter commercial operation later in 2019. The Taishan project is owned by the Guangdong Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company Limited (TNPJVC), a joint venture between EDF (30%) and China General Nuclear (CGN). Unit 1 of the power plant started construction in 2009, followed by unit 2 in 2010. These two units are the third and fourth EPR units under construction globally. The EPR design adopted in Taishan was developed by Framatome. Source: World Nuclear News , website: www.world-nuclear-news.org Uzbekistan Uzbekistan has decided it now wants to build four nuclear power units and not just two as previously stated, Alisher Sultanov, the country’s energy minister, said. Uzbekistan’s ambition to include nuclear power in its energy mix was unveiled inOctober last year byUzbek and Russian presidents, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Vladimir Putin, and the two countries signed a cooperation agreement to build a nuclear power plant in the republic. Its first-ever nuclear power plant will consist of two VVER-1200 reactors, scheduled for commissioning in 2028 and 2030, at a site near Lake Tuzkan, in the Farishsky district. Source: World Nuclear News , website: www.world-nuclear-news.org http://digitaleditions.nuclearplantjournal.com