Background
The Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant (SmNPP), located in the Smolensk region of Russia, comprises 3 power units. The site lies 3 km away from the nearby town of Desnogorsk on the bank of an artificial lake situated on the river Desna. Unit 1 was commissioned in 1982, Unit 2 in 1985 and Unit 3 in 1990. All three units have reactors of the RBMK-1000 boiling water graphite moderated type and were still in operation at the time of this contract.
In the early days of the TACIS Nuclear Safety assistance programme, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of reactor circuit components had been recognised as a priority area requiring urgent improvement in the Russian Federation. This applied at both VVER and RBMK NPPs. NDT provides a line of defence against failure of safety relevant equipment and components and is a highly important part of an in-service inspection (ISI) programme at NPPs. At RBMK NPPs, improvements were required to NDT techniques to contribute to the assurance of fuel channel integrity and to the prevention of failure of critical components.
In the framework of the TACIS 1994 Nuclear Safety Programme, the European Commission and SmNPP had agreed on a project to procure advanced NDT equipment for use in ISI of primary circuit components (see project R1.05/94A). In the framework of the TACIS 1996 Nuclear Safety Programme, it was agreed to purchase additional training services and spare parts for the equipment purchased under the R1.05/94A contract, from the same supplier.

Objective
The objective of the project was the provision of additional training services and spare parts for the equipment purchased under the contract R1.05/94A.

Results
The contract was signed on 22 December 1999, concurrently with the contract R1.05/94A. After significant delays and disputes between the parties related to the R1.05/94A contract, the spare parts were delivered to site in February 2006. The additional training was incorporated into, and delivered along with, the training included in the R1.05/94A contract. The Provisional and Final Acceptance Certificates were issued concurrently with those of contract R1.05/94A on 2 November 2006.