IRAN - BUSHEHR NPP

Bushehr NPP (Iran)

Atomstroyexport JSC continues construction of Bushehr NPP, which was begun in 1974 by German concern Kraftwerk Union A.G. (Siemens/KWU). In 1980 the concern terminated the contract with the Iranian customer because of the decision of the German government to join the American embargo on the equipment supplies to Iran.

On August 24th, 1992 the Cooperation Agreement in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy was signed between the government of the Russian Federation and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and on August 25th, 1992 the Agreement was concluded on construction of the NPP in Iran. In January, 1995 the contract was signed for completion of construction of power unit No.1 of Bushehr NPP, and in 1998 Supplement No.1 to the above contract was signed  according to which Atomstroyexport  was assigned with management of the construction completion. Actually the countdown of construction of Bushehr NPP by the Russian party began in1998.

Within the framework of the signed contract the Russian party, using its own technology and equipment, on the basis of the results of its own surveys and analysis, and also of the weighed estimation of the technical possibilities, knowledge and experience, undertook the obligation to reconstruct and complete the construction "on a turn-key basis" of the 1st power unit of 1000 MW installed electric capacity with V-446 reactor plant. The 4th power unit of Balakovo NPP was a reference plant for the reactor plant of Bushehr NPP-1.

The civil work on Bushehr-1 buildings and structures are carried out on the bidding basis by the Iranian firms under technical supervision of the Russian experts. 12 Iranian firms are involved in the work.

The installation works are carried out by the Russian subcontractors, which were chosen on a competitive basis and had experience in the works on construction of the NPPs in Russia and abroad and were registered in Gosatomnadzor of the Russian Federation. For realization of the installation works for the systems of the fourth class of safety the erection organizations of Iran were involved on a competitive basis.

Decision-making on performance of the works "on a turn-key basis” demanded greater additional efforts and time from ASE JSC for searching the organizations, the conclusion of contracts and their realization regarding:

- carrying out of the prospecting works;

- performance of the integration activities;

- deliveries of the initial data for designing;

- development of the design documentation, including layout of the Russian basic process equipment in the civil part,

- manufacture and supply of the equipment and materials;

- performance of the civil and erection, and commissioning works;

- attraction of some Iranian firms for performance of the civil and erection works and for supplies of the equipment and materials under direction of the Russian experts.

For solving such complicated tasks Atomstroyexport JSC involved Moscow, St.-Petersburg and Nizhniy Novgorod Institutes "Atomenergoproject", OKB “Gidropress”, RNC “Kurchatov Institute”, Machine-building Associations “Izhora Works”, "Electrosila", “ZIO Podolsk”, “Belgorod Machine-B Plant”, etc.

In 2001 the supplies of the basic process equipment to Bushehr NPP were started.

The main peculiar feature of the project initially consisted in the necessity "to fit" the Russian technology in the civil part executed under the German design and to use about 12 thousand tons of the German equipment in the Russian technology. For this purpose it was necessary to integrate it, i.e. to adapt the Russian technologies to the capacities already available on the site.