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MINSK, 10 October (BelTA) – The internal protective shell of the second power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is now covered by its dome, the press service of ASE Group told BelTA.

The dome of the internal protective shell consists of the lower part and the upper part. Their total weight exceeds 230 tonnes. The internal diameter of the foundation is 44m. The work to install both parts of the dome was done in two stages — from the +44.6m mark to the +56.7m mark and to the 61.6m mark.

Before the dome was installed, it was pre-assembled on the ground. The operation ensured the high quality of the work. “With the dome in place, the installation of metal structures of the internal protective shell in the reactor building is over,” said Sergei Olontsev, Vice President for managing Russian projects at the engineering company ASE. “Specialists will start reinforcing and pouring concrete on the metal structures of the internal protective shell within days.”

The internal protective shell is one of the components, which make up the containment system. The containment system prevents radiation from leaking into the environment in an emergency. The system of shells can survive internal pressures of 5kg per cm2 and external impacts such as, for instance, a blast wave with pressures as high as 30kPa or a falling aircraft.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant design provides for building a dual protective shell (with an internal protective shell and an external one) of the reactor building as part of the second power-generating unit featuring VVER-1200 reactors. The core equipment of the reactor unit is located inside the protective shell. The shell is also important as far as the safety of the nuclear power plant is concerned, since the shell represents the last physical barrier on the way of radioactive materials and ionizing radiation.

ASE Group was created as part of the efforts to form an engineering division of the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom. ASE Group was created by merging the industry’s top companies: NIAEP, ASE, Atomenergoproekt, and Atomproekt. ASE Group is one of the leaders of the world nuclear engineering industry and accounts for over 30% of the global market of nuclear power plant construction services. ASE’s representative offices and operation offices have been opened in 15 countries across the globe. Projects outside of Russia account for nearly 80% of the company’s portfolio.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is built using the Russian standard Generation III+ design AES-2006 near Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The first power-generating unit is scheduled for commissioning in 2019, with the second one to go online in 2020.