EU announces the rules for stress testing of nuclear power plants

“By the end of the week, the European Commission has to decide on the rules under which the stress tests for 143 nuclear power plants (NPP) in the community will be carried out “ said Sergey Tsochev, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) yesterday. He added that the tests will start in June. The need to check the safety of the reactors on the continent came as a result of the accident at the Japanese Fukushima NPP.

“The experts from the Kozloduy NPP are already working on the tests, and it is expected that these will be completed by the end of the month. If necessary, additional checks will be conducted, in line with the requirements of the European Commission, and later inspections may be carried out by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency,” explained Tsochev.

Experts from the Nuclear Regulatory Agency stated that the technical design of the Belene NPP will be delayed because of the new safety rules. Some of the safety systems of our second NPP have not yet been installed anywhere in the world and, for that reason, further tests and justifications will be needed for them. Tsochev added that if the turbines of the two 1,000 MW units are replaced, this would mean new delays in the construction.

Appropriate measures have been taken aimed at addressing the problems with the cracking in the protective tubes at the Kozloduy NPP. “It is normal for this problem to cause concern because this is a safety issue,” said Tsochev. The nuclear regulator can impose sanctions on the Kozloduy NPP due to the release of radioactive gas during the repairs of the 5th unit.

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