ANL - International Nuclear Safety Center Database

Paks Plant Operating History

The Paks plant has an essentially untroubled operating history, with a low number of unscheduled outages and reportable events.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team reviewing Unit 3 in 1988 noted several indicators of good performance: The unit's cumulative availability was above 86 percent; the unit had no events requiring the use of redundant safety systems; and unplanned outages during 14 reactor-years of operation numbered 27, extremely low by international comparison.

Upgraded Procedures. In a follow-up visit a year later, the IAEA team noted that management-initiated plant modifications and upgraded procedures would help Paks maintain and improve its safety record. The team also noted that management had recognized the importance of nuclear information exchange and had begun several programs to increase the flow of operating experience among plant operators. The team added that Paks' management was committed to operating the plant at the highest possible safety levels.

Full-Scope Simulator. The Paks plant has raised its performance level with the help of a new full-scope simulator. Plant management uses the simulator not only to train staff but also to test emergency procedures. Following such a test in 1990, management made significant improvements to these procedures.

Plant Security. Recognizing the importance of Paks to Hungary's electricity supply, the government announced the formation of an anti-terrorist guard unit for the plant.

Technical/Upgrading Activities

Before MVM cancelled its order in 1989 for two third- generation VVER-1000 units as the fifth and sixth units at the Paks site, it had awarded several contracts to Western companies for assistance in building the units.

  • Bechtel Power Corp. won a contract in 1988 to perform project management services for construction of Paks 5 and 6. Bechtel had already assessed management, organization and work flow at the four operating VVER-440 Model V213 units.

  • Finland's IVO International Ltd. was awarded a contract in 1988 to deliver project-management systems to the Paks construction project.

  • Finland's Imatra Voima Oy (IVO) signed a technical agreement with Paks management in 1988 under which IVO would participate in the construction and maintenance of the new Paks units.

  • Siemens/KWU experts cleaned the steam generators at Paks 1 in 1991, and Paks personnel used the Siemens chemical process to clean Unit 2's steam generators in 1992.

    Plant Upgrades. The Paks plant has also contracted with Western firms for upgrades to the four VVER-440 Model V213 nuclear units. Finland's Nokia Oy was awarded an order for a plant simulator, and another Finnish firm, IVO, contracted to provide inspection and quality-control support, as well as safety and construction consulting, for all units at Paks.

    In 1990, Spain's Tecnatom signed a contract with the IAEA to supply Paks with a system for acquiring and processing data from ultrasonic in-service inspection of pressure vessels and other components. The company carried out a partial inspection of Unit 3's reactor vessel in 1993 that showed the vessel to be in highly satisfactory condition, with no reportable defects in the inspected zones.

    In 1991, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Commission launched a study of Paks to ensure that the plant meets Western safety standards. Nuclear experts from KFKI, the country's atomic energy research institute, evaluated the safety enhancement and backfitting measures taken and planned at Paks. One major task indicated by the analysis was upgrading the plant's seismic resistance. Under a Belgian-Hungarian energy agreement signed in May 1993, Belgium will contribute BF 20 million ($660,000) for safety and seismological tests to support safety systems and the construction of a waste storage facility. KFKI issued its report in 1994, establishing three categories of safety issues: elimination of principal design deficiencies; significant reduction of likelihood of large release of radioactive materials; and significant reduction in core melt frequency.

    In late 1993, Paks had received bids from four companies in response to its request for help in backfitting and updating its instrumentation and control equipment.

    January 1995

    (Source: NEI Source Book)

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