Installation of new security system at nuclear power plants to cost $1m

$1m is required for the installation of the new passive nuclear security system SPOTIK at Russian nuclear power plants. Konstantin Soplenkov, director of the Tekhnologiya and Ekologiya company, reported at the presentation of the results of an examination of the SPOTIK system within the framework of a TACIS project that the development of this system had taken 10 years.

The European Commission allocated EUR100,000 within the framework of the TACIS project for testing and analysis of the efficiency of that system in 2001. Tekhnika and Teknologiya as the holder of the patent for the SPOTIK system and the Nuclear Energy Ministry as the customer for the examination took part in this project on the Russian side. The analysis was conducted by experts of the French company Framatom-ANP.

As Soplenkov underlined, the question of the installation of the passive protection system SPOTIK at Russian nuclear power plants will be resolved by the Rosenergoatom concern before the end of 2002.