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Dhaka Thursday,  Mar 28, 2024

Ruppur NPP unique : Interview with Marat Mustafin

At the end of June the contract for drafting the documents for substantiating the investments into construction and assessing the impact on the environment, as well as for conducting engineering survey on the site of the Ruppur NPP in Bangladesh was signed. Moscow’s company Atomenergoproekt will be involved in the works, performed in accordance with the contract. Atomenergoproekt has already been performing similar works on sites in Russia and abroad and is constructing the Novovoronezh NPP-2.

Nuclear.Ru: Which works are going to be performed by Atomenergoproekt within the scope of the Ruppur NPP Project in Bangladesh?

М. Mustafin: When implementing the project on constructing the Ruppur NPP in Bangladesh, JSC Atomenergoproekt has been actively cooperating with JSC Atomstroyexport. First of all, our company is going to perform the project survey works on site. What makes the project unique is that the Ruppur site is the only one, proposed by the contracting authority for constructing the NPP. Usually several sites are suggested. In addition, the Ruppur site is rather complex. We have received archived data on the survey, performed previously by a foreign company. Several test bores showed that the site’s geological state is quite complex. Certainly, that is a provisional implication and in order to come up to the final conclusion, we need to start the field works and real surveying activities. As soon as we get to the site, which will be in the fourth quarter of this year, the first processing of data will show us the preliminary results. However, we can state already now that due to the fact that the site is located close to the river Ganges, there is plenty of alluvial soil there. It is a very flexible and plastic compound with continental ground underneath.

Nuclear.Ru: Which project the survey is going to be performed under?

М. Мustafin: We plan to perform the survey under the WWER-TOI project. As a whole, the initial geological survey is going to be of a universal nature. Then we will be able to flexibly adjust it to the specific project. First we need to know what is there underneath the ground.

Nuclear.Ru: Will the survey be performed for two power units?

М. Мustafin: Yes, the survey will be performed having two power units in mind. It might be that there will be a decision to construct one power unit. However, in economic terms, survey for two power units does not significantly increase the cost and there will be no need to perform extra works afterwards. In the nearest future,Atomenergoproekt is going to sign the contract with the merged company JSC NIAEP – JSC Atomstroyexport for performing the pre-designworks. The contract has already practically been prepared, the only thing left is to agree on small details.

Nuclear.Ru: In a month or two JSC NIAEP – JSC ASE plans to sign the contract on preparation of the technical project with Bangladesh. Will Atomenergoproekt also be responsible for implementing the project?

М. Мustafin: The technical project will be prepared by two companies. JSC Atomenergoproekt will design the “nuclear island” and auxiliary buildings and structures, and JSC NIAEP will design the equipment premises, hydro-technical and some technical structures as well as power output structures. The volumes of works are shared 56% vs. 44% correspondingly.

Nuclear.Ru: The third document, foreseen to be signed, is the contract for preparatory works for constructing the Ruppur NPP. Will Atomenergoproekt be able to perform those works?

М. Мustafin: That is quite a complicated issue, considering the climate peculiarities and many other factors. In my opinion, it will be rather difficult to find contractors, willing and able to work in such conditions. Bangladesh is not Turkey, where the climate is rather soft. Even in terms of ordinary construction works, the conditions in the region, where the Ruppur site is located, are very hard. We are talking about seasonal rain, extreme air temperature, specific ground and continuous climatic changes. That means that it will be very difficult for the builders, who will, most probably, be foreign companies, to work there. Therefore, considering all the difficulties and peculiarities of the Bangladesh project, Atomstroyexport will make the choice of contractors for different kind of works with great care. As for us, we will perform the engineering survey and the works on designing the so-called “nuclear island”, i. e. the complex of buildings and structures of the reactor part.

Generally speaking, Atomenergoproekt, as a future engineering division of the State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom, would like to step up with the initiative of constructing the “nuclear island” by using its own forces. That is a question of no distant, but medium perspective. WWER-TOI is our project. We have the competence, acquired when constructing the Novovoronezh NPP-2 and the NPP-2006 project can be easily transformed into the WWER-TOI. Certainly, the composition of the latter project is, to a certain extent, different, but the essential solutions as regards constructing the “nuclear island” are very similar. At the Novovoronezh plant we used the large-block construction technology, which allows for significant reduction of time for completing the works and the speed of constructing increases several times. For example, when constructing the inner containmentof the second power unit of the Novovoronezh NPP-2 we managed to reduce the time for producing the enlarged reinforced concrete blocks from 60 to 30 days, the time for assembling the blocks – from 40 to 23 days, the time for concreting the layers – from 12 to 7 days. All of the above allowed for completing the concrete pouring works before winter and thus, we managed to keep in line with the time schedule. If the new technologies were not used, the total time for completing the works would be 212 days longer!

Nuclear.Ru: So, you want to say that Atomenergoproekt would like to act as the general contractor when constructing the “nuclear island” on foreign sites as well?

М. Мustafin: We are going to offer our competence both in Russia and abroad and let the general contractor, which, in case of foreign sites, is JSC NIAEP – JSC ASE, take the decision and see for themselves what is of more beneficial to them: to perform the construction works by using their own forces, hiring a third party or let us do the job. In any case the responsibility for the site lies with the general contractor, who chooses the construction company. The general contractor undertakes the consolidated responsibility for everybody on any construction site, be it an NPP or another object. There may be hundreds of contractors. At present we have 51 contractor at the Novovoronezh NPP-2 and Atomenergoproekt holds full responsibility for the entire project. If, for example, one contractor makes an error, the customer considers it’s our fault. Ant it is only right. There must be no vagueness when it comes to responsibility. We are responsible for everything at the Novovoronezh site the same way NIAEP-ASE will be responsible for the Ruppur project in Bangladesh. Therefore the management of the said company will make the decision on who will construct the “nuclear island”, equipment premises, etc.

Nuclear.Ru: The Akkuyu NPP in Turkey is another foreign site, where Atomenergoproekt performs works. What has already been completed and which are the future tasks?

М. Мustafin: At present we process the technical reports on the results of engineering survey, performed in 2012. Basically the process is in its final phase. In the nearest future Atomenergoproekt’s specialists will complete the preparation of the engineering survey programme for drafting the detailed engineering documentation for the Akkuyu NPP. According to the said programme, during 2013-2016 the Turkish contracting organizations will perform engineering survey under the supervision ofAtomenergoproekt staff. Certainly, there are certain peculiarities, relating to preparation of the Akkuyu NPP project, which employs designing and construction solutions, adopted within the scope of WWER-TOI Project. Those deal with high seismicity of the site, the need to consider the natural phenomena (tsunamis, climatic conditions, etc.), designing hydro-technical structures, etc. In addition, it is necessary to fully take into consideration the requirements, provided by Turkish legal acts. However, as regards drafting the project documentation, all the works are performed in observance of the master schedule, approved by the State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom.

Marat Mustafin, General Director of JSC Atomenergoproekt

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