A review team from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency completed an operational safety review of Unit 3 of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant on April 25, concluding that management was committed to safety improvements for long-term operations of the plant.
The review is termed a pre-SALTO review, which stands for pre-Safety Aspects of Long Term Operations.
An 11-member SALTO team assessed the plant from April 17 to April 25 at the request of the Ukraine Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry. The focus of the review was Unit 3, a 950 MW pressurized water VVER V-320 reactor that began commercial operations in 1989.
The unit was designed for a 30-year run, but operators of the plant are preparing Unit 3 for an extended license that would allow Unit 3 to operate for 40 years. The Ukrainian Regulatory Authority mandates safety reviews of nuclear power plants be conducted every 10 years.
While applauding the operators commitment to safety, experts from Argentina, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, India, Sweden and the United Kingdom, along with two IAEA staff members, recommended several improvements, but noted specific accolades for a catalog of operational defects in heat exchanging tubes in the steam generators … monitoring the plant's safety indicators and development of a comprehensive surveillance program for irradiation embrittlement in the reactor pressure vessel.”
For recommendations, the team pointed out that the operator should complete a long-term operation implementation program, complete a list of structures, systems and components included in the long-term operational scope – and properly document the scope setting process – and adequately preserve equipment qualification status.