Preparation of the industry in Poland for construction of nuclear power plants:

On 22-24 September 2015 the Department of Nuclear Energy of the Ministry of Economy in Poland with the collaboration of Instytut Spawalnictwa and Urząd Dozoru Technicznego (UDT) organised a seminar aiming at:

• outlining to home participants the requirements of nuclear pressure vessels and steel structures of a reactor containment basing on codes ASME Section III and AFCEN RCC-M and RCC-CW standards;
• discussing standards and regulations on quality management systems in the nuclear industry in accordance with IAEA GS-R-3, NSQ-100, NQA-1 and 10 CFR 50 Appendix B;
• presenting the experience of EU countries, which have and develop nuclear energy, in the range of employing of the local industry;
• clarifying the role of home and international entities in a building of delivery chains for nuclear industry.

During three-day seminar 20 lectures have been delivered for over 110 listeners representing mostly home metal industry and also science and research institutions as well as building engineering companies and design offices.

The seminar was opened ceremonially by Mr Mieczysław Borowski, the President of UDT and Mr Zbigniew Kubacki, Director of the Department of Nuclear Energy of the Ministry of Economy, who expressed their conviction that the seminar would increase the participation and preparation of the home industry for execution of works connected with the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland.

Papers delivered during the seminar were prepared not only by lecturers from Poland (Instytut Spawalnictwa, UDT, PGE EJ1, ENERGOP), but also by numerous guests from France (AFCEN i NSQA), the United States (ASME), IAEA, Czech Republic (CEZ), Finland (STUK), Spain (Nuclenor), Canada (CSA and Promation) and the United Kingdom (NIA), which ensured the high professional level of the seminar.

All lectures were received with a great interest. Especially the paper presented by Mr Emil Okliński initiated the lively discussion, where the author presented the experiences of ENERGOP company from Sochaczew gained during the fabrication of pipelines class 3 and 2 at nuclear power station Flamanville 3. The seminar participants could familiarise themselves with the details of the technical and organisational requirements and practical problems associated with prefabrication and welding of pipelines (preparation, fabrication, cleaning, packaging, etc.). During the discussion over the issues mentioned above, Mr Marek Schwarc of KMW Engineering Sp. z o. o. company, that fabricated HVAC system (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) for Okliluoto 3 power plant, also shared his experiences on this subject. The remarks of both specialists applied to practical aspects of the fabrication of products for nuclear power plant, which was highly appreciated by the participants of the seminar.

The next very interesting paper was presented by Mr Juan Galbally from Spain, who very systematically and exactly specified the hazards that may occur during the execution of Polish programme of the construction of the first nuclear power station and indicated the issues requiring special attention. To sum up, it can be said that the participants heard what the course of action should be taken and what mistakes should be avoided during the preparation and construction of the first nuclear power station in Poland. The remarks contained in the paper unquestionably will be useful for specialists in Poland.

In the conclusion special words of thanks should go to the Ministry of Economy, the leading organiser of the seminar and personally to Andrzej Sidło for the excellent arranging of the meeting and inviting highly-regarded specialists from abroad as well as to the personnel of Instytut Spawalnictwa and UDT, who helped in organising of the seminar. The need for conducting such meetings has been emphasised by all participants who filled in the questionnaire after the seminar conclusion, which undoubtedly would help to organise such an event next year.

Jerzy Niagaj, PhD (DSc) Eng. Associate Professor at Instytut Spawalnictwa