From 20 to 22 September, 2017, the large-scale complex emergency response exercise (CERE) is being carried out at Rostov NPP with the participation of the observers from six countries (Bulgaria, Belarus, Finland, South Korea, France and Sweden), the Groups of Nuclear Power Plants’ Emergency Help Delivery (NPPEHD), the workforce and means of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), the Ministry of Defense, and the Federal Agency of National Guard of the Russian Federation. In total near 1,000 specialists, 100 units of special equipment and aviation are involved.

Commenting on this event the Head of the Exercise – the Deputy Director General – the Director for NPP Production and Operation of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC Andrey Dementiev noted, “The peculiarity of this emergency response exercise is that we use more complicated scenarios. Today, we practice conventional emergency not at one but at more than one power unit. Tomorrow we will give new input data that will significantly complicate the situation and demand the active and coordinated actions of all the participants of the Exercise. Another peculiarity is that we actively use the post-Fukushima equipment (mobile equipment, mobile pump and diesel-generator units). It will be used in the mode of addition to the actual emergency response actions.”

It is to be noted that the scenario of such exercise is based on nearly impossible combination of many unfavourable events – natural disasters, power units’ system failure, etc.

In the first day of the Exercise the participants practiced the actions suggested by the specialists of the Crisis Centres of Rosenergoatom Concern (Moscow) and Rostov NPP, as well as emergency prevention agencies, the Federal Firefighting Service and the Federal Bio-Medical Agency at the site of Rostov NPP in the conditions of impossible for this location conventional earthquake of magnitude 5.

For three days the Exercise to be carried out not only at the NPP, but also at the territory of town of Volgodonsk and the Dubovskoe village. The representatives of radioactivity, chemical and biological protection forces, engineer forces, the MES and civil defense organizations will practice the skills of actions in the conditions of emergency during the second day of the CERE.

During the Exercise Rostov NPP power units are being operated in regular operation mode. In the course of the Exercise no interruptions in their work are allowed; and none will be allowed and will be carried out.