A training seminar of the Moscow Center of the World Association of NPP Operators was completed at the Smolensk NPP.  More than 30 experts from six nuclear power plants of Rosenergoatom participated in it. For three days, under the guidance of experienced specialists, they studied and practiced the concept of Operational Decision Making (ODM).

“Operational decision making is an ongoing process at a nuclear power plant.  Every day the employees of the enterprise make some decisions in order to ensure the reliable operation of the power units.  And, of course, it was interesting and useful to get acquainted with the approaches and methodology for making operational decisions presented by the experts of the WANO Moscow Center, to compare them with our developments in this direction, ”said Vadim Skirda, first deputy chief engineer of the Smolensk NPP for Operation.

The seminar consisted of two parts: theory and practice.  The experts presented the regulations and guidelines issued by WANO on the decision-making process, the best practices applied at foreign NPPs, and then the groups examined the situations that actually happened at the nuclear power plants.

According to Andrey Lukyanenko, advisor to WANO MC, when operating power units, sometimes it is necessary to make the right decision in order to maintain a conservative approach to safety and at the same time provide the continuity of the production process.  Such decisions are made by a committee, which includes leaders of different management levels.  By analyzing the problem, assessing risks, based on best operating experience, regulatory documents, and the team develops a plan for choosing the most reasonable operational solution.

“The topic of decision making is relevant for any large enterprise that is interested in its development, in making correct, strategically correct decisions.  Training at the Smolensk NPP was held in the form of live communication between the participants - representatives of different plants, including representatives of different management levels.  Such a versatile team made it possible to exchange views and gain invaluable WANO experience, ” said Alexander Mironov, head of the FNPP Operations Service.