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.

The condition of batteries at SmNPP had been causing concern for some time and a number had already been replaced piecemeal. The remaining equipment was reaching the end of its design life and needed to be replaced. These batteries are used to supply the control circuits of safety-related systems and, as such, the deterioration in their capacity was a serious safety issue and their replacement was a very high priority for the NPP.

In the framework of the Tacis 97 Nuclear Safety Programme, SmNPP requested a project to procure and install new battery systems, thereby contributing to the improvement of the safety and reliability of the plant by replacing ageing equipment.

Objective

The objective of the project was the provision of battery systems to replace those listed below, suitable for use in existing battery rooms within the Smolensk NPP:

• Battery of ECCS, Unit 2, 2 SB
• Battery of ECCS, Unit 2, 3 SB
• Battery of AB-1 of Open Switch Yard-7S0
• Battery of AB-2 of Open Switch Yard-7S0
• Battery of AB-1 of DG station, Unit 3
• Battery of AB-2 of DG station, Unit 3
• Battery of AB-4 of DG station, Unit 3
• Battery of AB-5 of DG station, Unit 3
• Battery of AB-Distribution Boards

The scope of work/supplies included the design, manufacture, factory acceptance testing, certification, delivery, site acceptance testing, installation and supervision of commissioning of the above batteries for safety-related systems of the power plant comprising suitable rated charger, lead acid, Planté-type cells and associated installation kit. The scope of work also included the provision of spare parts suitable for 5 years operation, documentation, training of maintenance personnel and after-sales service.

Results

The Call for Tender was launched in August 2002 and tenders were evaluated in October 2002. The contract was signed with Alstom Power Service on 20 July 2003. After significant delays not attributable to the supplier, the equipment was delivered, installed and tested and the Provisional Acceptance Certificate was issued in August 2006. Some warranty issues had to be rectified by the contractor and the Final Acceptance Certificate was issued in November 2006.