At the Smolensk NPP, the first in Rosenergoatom, a new format of interaction with the World Association of Nuclear Power Plant Operators was tested. A team of experts conducted a visit of functional and technical support using the improved monitoring methodology.

Improved operational monitoring is one of five streams being implemented as part of the Pursue to Excellence initiative, which is focused on WANO's 10-year operational outlook and a shift in focus to long-term performance improvement drivers. The Smolensk plant took an active position in the implementation of the initiative and was recognized as one of the regional leaders in the development of the project, which became the reason for replacing the repeated peer review with a visit from experts of functional and technical support as part of the improved monitoring system.

As Andrey Prokhodtsev, head of functional and technical support at the WANO Moscow Center, noted, the professionalism of the team at Smolensk NPP allows us to reasonably expect that production activities will be continuously improved any time soon.

“There are strong leaders who motivate staff to improve, there is trust and openness of the team, and general interest - from senior managers to indicator analysis specialists,” Andrey Prokhodtsev emphasized. – This is very important for an objective assessment and further communications. For WANO, Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant has been a provider of staff and good practices for many years. During the visit, we wrote a trajectory of proposed changes for a six-month time horizon, based precisely on the effectiveness of teamwork and existing competencies. We concluded that in most cases the trajectory is either stable or improving. Our forecast in this regard is positive.”

Unlike peer reviews, a functional and technical support visit is not focused on finding deficiencies, but on forming a balanced picture of the current state in key areas affecting the safety and reliability of power units (operation, maintenance and repair, engineering support, organizational structure). Experts, together with plant partners, performed a wide range of assessments and identified areas where greater efficiency could be achieved with additional effort. The dynamics are monitored continuously in order to identify signs of deterioration at an early stage, take timely corrective measures and improve the situation. The interaction will continue online.

“Continuous dialogue with experts, the involvement of our staff and feedback from WANO will definitely bring serious positive results,” says Pavel Lubensky, director of the Smolensk plant. – Openness is a sign of the quality of our team; we are always happy to have partner visits when we can exchange information useful for safety – an absolute priority in the nuclear energy industry. We do not perceive the high level of operation noted during the visit of functional and technical support as a reason for complacency. We strive to ensure that every employee at his workplace understands how he contributes to improvement and is motivated to achieve better and better results. We will analyze the identified growth points and adopt an action plan to take another step towards improvement.”

According to the representative of the Moscow HLW Center at the Smolensk NPP, Evgeniy Fedorov, while the results of the visit are preliminary, they will be finalized at the Moscow Center in collaboration with partners from the Smolensk NPP. The final conclusions will be announced at a collegial meeting, after which the level of further interaction between Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant and WANO within the framework of improved monitoring will become known: basic monitoring, advanced monitoring, support, or targeted support. The frequency of visits of functional experts and the need for additional activities: support missions, seminars, working meetings, and training depend on the assigned category.