Russian nuclear power company Rosatom confirmed this week that a reactor vessel was involved in a mishap in July during construction of Belarus' first nuclear power plant. Workers apparently failed to secure the reactor vessel properly, allowing it to slip and hit the ground, although Rosatom's deputy general Alexander Lokshin refused to categorize the incident as a fall that included significant impact.
“As for the shell, there was no significant impact on it that would have changed its properties,” Lokshin said, according to Sputnik International.
The force of the fall was 1.5 times weaker than its design allowed for, it was reported. Lokshin said it was incorrect for reports to use the words “fell” or “hit the ground.”
However, the incident has triggered a call from the Belarus government to investigate any possible damage to the reactor vessel and work has been suspended on the project. In addition, Rosatom said it would replace the reactor vessel to restore confidence in the project.
Lokshin, according to the World Nuclear Association, said the vessel “slipped down slowly and touch the ground softly.” The accident occurred in the early hours of July 10.
It should be said that part of the scare involves headlines that discredit the way the news of the incident was handled. Some reports claimed it was similar to the denials of problems associated with the Russian government of the past.
Rosatom said that experts from subsidiaries OKB Gidropress and Atomstroyexport are inspecting the vessel and the Belarus government said it would only be used if experts gave it a clean bill of health.
The first Belarus nuclear power plant is scheduled for operational start in November 2018 with the second unit expected to start up on July 2020. The units will supply 2340 MWe net capacity.