WANO technical support mission on the topic “Operating Personnel Training at a Full-Scale Simulator” was completed at Smolensk NPP. The NPP management invited WANO representatives in order to share experience and give recommendations, which would help to improve the enterprise operation.

According to WANO Atlanta Center Engineering Manager Tim Martin, the experts paid a special attention to the pre-training studies and trainings. “We had a talk with instructors, operators and authorities in order to get a deep understanding of the training process and quality. Thus, comparing your system with the best international practices, we were looking for fields to be improved. It is necessary to point out that Smolensk NPP has improved personnel training effectiveness considerably over recent years, though there are always the opportunities for further improvement”, he reported.

Smolensk NPP operators training during the period of world-wide modernization, introduction of innovative technologies and systems requires personnel pre-job training and strategic response skill training. In the course of the technical support mission the experts estimated effectiveness of current development program for operating personnel training system. They observed the educative process, analyzed the procedures regulating the use of full-scale simulator (FSS), studies scenario and educational materials on modernization.

“Such WANO operating mode, as technical support mission, plays a prominent role in sharing of good professional practice and improvement of reliable, secure and efficient NPP operation”, Deputy Chief Engineer, Technical Assistance Administration Head Oleg Sarayev noted. “We will take into account experts estimates and recommendations in further development and improvement of the personnel training system”.