Bilibino NPP

Bilibino nuclear power and district heating plant (NPDHP) was the first nuclear power station built beyond the Polar Circle in the central part of the Chukotka peninsula, and it provides electricity for the regional mining and gold mining industries.

Four EGP-6 (water-cooled graphite-moderated pressure tube) reactors, with a 48 MW installed capacity, are in operation.

The station works in the load-following mode in the regional energy grid. The station also provides heat and hot running water for the nearby small town and a hothouse complex.

At the time of the initiation of this project the population of the nearby town was 10,000 people - mostly station personnel, geologists, construction workers and gold miners.

Bilibino NPP was connected through two 110 kV lines: the first one, 300 kms long, to Zeliony Mys power plant (2 x 10 MW Gas Turbine) and the second one, 400 kms long, to Pevec where an old small thermal plant was still working. No other electric lines or plants were in the area and no future development or renovation was planned.

For this reason Bilibino NPP often worked in island mode because it was the only reliable power source in this wild and remote region, where, during the winter, temperatures as low as minus 50 �C are normally reached.

Events or accidents that would not have severe consequences or could be easily mitigated in other regions, in Bilibino could degenerate due to the difficulty, and sometimes the impossibility, to transport help during the winter months when the worst climate conditions would exist.

Project Background

In the framework of the Tacis 1995 programme, it was decided to initiate a project for the re-design and reconstruction of the Emergency Power Supply System of Bilibino NPP. The initial stages of the project preparation were included as part of a large contract between the EC and the Twinning Programme Engineering Group (TPEG) consortium (see contract 23631). TPEG assigned the task to ENEL.

ENEL immediately began an analysis of the emergency systems, based on probabilistic models, which led to some indications on Emergency Power Supply System components' implementation or replacement.

A visit to Bilibino NPP, which was originally foreseen at the end of 1996 and postponed for bad weather conditions in Chukotka, was performed by the ENEL experts in the period from the July 30 to August 5, 1997.

The visit, in addition to the visual inspection of the overall system to evaluate the status, the working conditions, the location of the existing components and to obtaining relevant information from the system operators, had the purpose of defining an agreed set of components to be implemented or replaced either in the framework of the Tacis 95 or in the framework of the Tacis 97 Programme.

Four Specific Projects were identified and in detail:

Tacis 95 Programme (see project R1.08/95)

• Replacement of Emergency D/G Switchboards
• Replacement of Emergency Circuit Breakers
• Replacement of Telephone Exchange System

Tacis 97 Programme (project R1.02/97D, which was cancelled and reprogrammed in the Tacis 2003 programme as R1.08/03A; the present project)

• Substitution of 2,5 MW Gas Turbine with 2x1,25 MW Diesel generators

ENEL prepared, among other documents, a report on the redesign of the Electrical Power Supply System a well as four purchase Technical Specifications for each of the above mentioned replacement projects.

The tender procedure for R1.02/97D was unsuccessful due to the one tender received not being technically compliant with the tender technical requirements. The EC decided to revise the Technical Specifications, cancel the R1.02/97D project, re-programme it as R1.08/03A and re-launch the call for tender.

Objectives

The objective of the project was to improve the reliability of the emergency power supply systems of Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant through the delivery and installation of Diesel Generator Sets (D/G Sets) for the Backup Diesel Power Station (BDPS).
The subject of the contract was the design, manufacturing, delivery, factory acceptance inspection and testing, certification, support during licensing, supervision of installation and commissioning, provision of documentation, training and instruction in the use of the purchased Diesel Generator Sets. The scope of supply also included spare parts and special tools.

The scope of the project is described in more detail in the attached extract of the Technical Specification. The scope of the supplies specified in the Call for Tender was divided into two parts, the objective being to be able to purchase either one or two Diesel Generator sets depending on the available budget and the price offered by the tenderer.

In the event it was possible to purchase both sets.

The Contractor was responsible for delivery of the equipment to Moscow only. The End User was responsible for the transportation of the supplies from Moscow to Bilibino NPP. The End User was also responsible for the installation of the equipment. The Contractor had to supervise the installation activities.

Results

The call for tender was launched in September 2005 and the tender evaluation was performed between 21 and 24 November 2005. A contract was signed with the successful tenderer Technoserv on 24 June 2006.

The contract was signed in April 2006.

The Diesel Generators were successfully delivered and installed at the NPP within one year of contract signature. A warranty period of 2 years followed the installation.