Cooperation Improves Annual Power Output and Reduces Operational Costs in VVER Reactors
Kyiv, Ukraine, September 22, 2021 – Westinghouse Electric Company and NT-Engineering LLC Company announced today a signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to implement maintenance optimization and system repair projects for water-water energetic reactors (VVER), a milestone aiming at increasing the safety levels and performance of these reactors in Ukraine.
Aziz Dag (right), Westinghouse Regional Vice President Nordics, VVER & UAE, and Vitalii Demianiuk (left), Chairman of the Supervisory Board, NT-Engineering LLC, signing the MOC at Westinghouse Electric Sweden representative office in Kyiv, Ukraine.
“Westinghouse is committed to continue supporting NT-Engineering in every area of its operations and, through this agreement, optimizing the full Ukrainian VVER fleet as well as VVER units outside of Ukraine,” said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse President, EMEA Operating Plant Services.
"Implementation of cooperation between NT-Engineering and Westinghouse will improve the efficiency of nuclear power units using modern technologies and will lead to significant economic benefits for the operator of nuclear installations," said Vitalii Demianiuk NT-Engineering LLC Chairman of the supervisory board.
The agreement allows VVER operators to optimize the approach to maintenance in VVER units and significantly increase annual power output through risk-informed configuration management. VVER operators also would benefit by increasing between 16 and 20 the number of days the reactors are usually online producing power, determining what maintenance could be safely performed during reactor operation instead of waiting for the reactor to be shut down for refueling.
NT-Engineering with support from the U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory conducted the pilot project for VVER-1000 for Unit 2 in the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Enerhodar, Ukraine, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Results demonstrate the process could be replicated at other VVER-1000 reactors globally.
