Ukraine to join European initiative to check NPPs' safety

KIEV, March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukraine is joining the European
initiative for nuclear power plant safety checks following the accident at
Japanese nuclear plant Fukushima-1, the chief of the State Inspectorate
for Nuclear Regulation, Yelena Mikolaichuk, told reporters on Friday. She
said the issue of such stress tests was discussed in Helsinki, Finland, on
March 22-23 at a meeting of the Western European Nuclear Regulators
Association, in which Ukraine has the observer status.
"No experiments will be staged, there will be systemic re-evaluation
of security in case of beyond-design accidents," the head of the agency
explained. As an example for Ukraine she mentioned analysis of a likely
impact on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant of a hypothetical failure of
a dam of the Dnieper HPP cascade.
"We need to answer the question what is to be done to ensure even in
case of these unlikely events there be no negative influence on people,"
Mikolaichuk explained.
She declared the decision to create an international group to develop
a methodology for nuclear inspections. It will be headed by France.
Ukraine has delegated its expert. The companies that operate nuclear power
plants will be asked to conduct extra analysis of safety over six months.
The national regulators will check the data provided within three months.
"By the end of March 2012 there will already be conclusions concerning
specific NPPs," Mikolaichuk said. Then it will become clear what units
must be closed down and what may stay in service on the condition of
modernization.