Russia's Mayak signs cooperation accord with self-regulatory organization

Mayak processing plant has signed a cooperation agreement with the Russian nuclear industry's self-regulatory organization to help it "ensure high standards of construction" at its nuclear facilities, they said in a joint statement yesterday.

Mayak processing plant has signed a cooperation agreement with the Russian nuclear industry's self-regulatory organization (SRO) to help it "ensure high standards of construction" at its nuclear facilities, they said in a joint statement yesterday.

Pokhlebaev and Opekunov at the signing ceremony (Image: AtomSRO)

The document was signed by Mayak general director Mikhail Pokhlebaev and nuclear industry SRO president Victor Opekunov during a meeting of the SRO board in Ozersk on 2-3 July. Pokhlebaev is also an adviser to the director general of Russian state corporation Rosatom.

The main purpose of the agreement is to "ensure the realization of measures under Rosatom's federal target and investment programs to be implemented at Mayak in the construction of nuclear facilities," Mayak and the SRO said in a joint statement.

Pokhlebaev noted that the document includes "a number of provisions requiring speedy implementation". In particular, he drew attention to the issues of improving the personnel training building complex, improving occupational health and safety at construction sites, developing standardization in the nuclear energy sector, among others.

Opekunov added that the nuclear industry SRO had a lot of experience in the implementation of training, standards, oversight and monitoring activities through its existing agreements with other key organizations, including Rosenergoatom, NIAEP-JSC ASE, Federal State Unitary Enterprise Mining and Chemical Combine, and the A A Bochvar High-technology Research Institute of Inorganic Materials.

Its main activities with Mayak, which is based near Chelyabinsk in the Urals, will be to: ensure implementation of innovative construction technology; create conditions of transparency and fair competition in the construction of nuclear facilities; increase productivity and reduce project and construction work costs at the facilities; and introduce modern methods of organization and management of construction.

The two parties to the agreement said they plan to establish a joint coordination working group.

A self-regulatory organization exercises some degree of regulatory authority over an industry or profession. The Russian nuclear industry SRO, a not-for-profit organization, was established in February when Rosatom held the first constituent assembly of three SRO organizations - Soyuzatomstroy, Soyuzatomproekt and Soyuzatomgeo.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News