RE: Start of Temelin NPP

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@aecl.ca>]

Thank you for the bulletin Franz, and especially the local perspective,
which one doesn't get from the news etc.
The utility CEZ did however post brief accounts of the proceedings leading
up to first criticality on its web site.
I have appended a couple here, in case you are interested ( also available
in German at the CEZ web site ).
I also took the opportunity to send a quick note of congratulations to CEZ
for their achievement -- they may not be getting very many from their
European neighbours these days....
Jaro 
frantaj@aecl.ca

<begin quote>

http://www.cez.cz/jete/TEdnes/NewsEN/e001011.htm
Reactor of Temelín NPP Unit 1 Put into Operation 
Today, October 11, 2000 at 6.19 a.m., the operators of the Temelín nuclear
power plant finished the decreasing of the boric acid concentration in the
primary circuit as they reached the critical state of the reactor. "At this
moment, the first controlled chain nuclear reaction has started. It means,
the reactor of the Temelín NPP´s first unit was put into operation," ing.
Milan Nebesár, Temelín NPP press spokesman, said.
Then the operators started to control the power output of the reactor by
means of the control rods. During the reactor start-up the parameters in the
primary circuit were: water temperature of 280.3°C, pressure 15.6 MPa,
position of the tenth group of the control rods of 125 steps.
"The course of reaching the critical state of Temelín NPP Unit 1 has been
safe and all safety criteria have been fulfilled," ing. Marian Sedlácek,
head of the testing from the Nuclear Energy Research Institute Trnava,
announced in the control room after the start-up of the reactor.
At the moment the power output of the reactor is stabilised on the level of
0.001 % of the nominal power output. "Now in the following ten days the zero
and low power testing of the reactor core under the power output of lower
than 2 % will be carried out. Its purpose is to test the reactor core under
practical terms. After we have fulfilled all prescribed tests and documented
and reported them to the State Office for Nuclear Safety, we will be able to
move into the next mode of the unit. This will be the power ascension,"
Milan Nebesár added.
CEZ, a.s. PRESS RELEASE, October 11, 2000
Ing. Milan Nebesár
Press Spokesman-Temelín NPP

http://www.cez.cz/jete/TEdnes/NewsEN/e001010.htm
Reactor Start-up Continues 
Yesterday at 9:21 p.m., in the main control room, under the attendance of
Milos Zeman, prime minister of the Czech Republic, and Miroslav Grégr,
minister for industry and trade, the shift charge engineer Ivo Curín gave an
order to ing. Milan Fink, reactor operator, to pull out the first group of
the control rods (clusters) of the Unit 1 reactor. 
"By this the factual initiation of the process of the reactor start-up has
started. At 11.44 p.m., after the sixth group of the control rods had been
pulled out the first unit came in accordance with the operating procedures
in Mode No. 2. At about 2.00 a.m. the pulling of the control rod groups out
of the reactor core was finished. During today the decreasing of the
concentration of the boric acid in the primary circuit will be taking
place," ing. Milan Nebesár, spokesman of the power plant, said. 
By the gradual decrease of the concentration of the boric acid in the
primary circuit the equilibrious conditions, which are necessary for the
keeping the controlled chain reaction, will be reached. First then it will
be possible to start the actual initiation of the reactor. "We expect that
the prescribed conditions of the primary circuit for the initiation of the
first controlled fissile chain reaction will be reached in the late night or
early tomorrow morning hours," Milan Nebesár added.
CEZ, a.s. PRESS RELEASE, October 10, 2000
Ing. Milan Nebesár
Press Spokesman-Temelín NPP

http://www.cez.cz/jete/TEdnes/NewsEN/e001009B.htm
Temelín Received the Approval to the Reactor Start-up 
"Today at 2.18 p.m. ing. Frantisek Hezoucký, director of the Temelín nuclear
power plant, received from ing. Dana Drábová, chairperson of the State
Office for Nuclear Safety, and ing. Karel Böhm, deputy for the nuclear
safety, approval to the Unit 1 reactor start-up," ing. Milan Nebesár, press
spokesman of the plant, said. 
"Based both on the fulfilment of the up-to-date conditions of the SÚJB's
(State Office for Nuclear Safety) decision necessary for the approval to the
performance of the active testing stage - the zero and low power testing of
Unit 1 of the Temelín NPP, and on the results of the SÚJB's own checking
activities, the State Office for Nuclear Safety gives out the decisions, in
which it approves the chosen programs of the zero and low power testing, and
agrees with the continuation of the work within the zero and low power
testing and with the transition of Temelín NPP Unit 1 into Mode No. 2," the
SÚJB stated in its approval that was entered into the operational log book
at the Temelín NPP. 
After receiving the approval the final checks of the preparedness of the
unit for the start-up and the transition into Mode No. 2, which included the
testing of individual devices, technological systems and parameters of the
unit, have started. "This checking that has been carrying out by the
operative personnel will be completed within six to eight hours. Then the
order to pull out the first group of the control rods (clusters) will be
given, which means the factual initiation of the process of the reactor
start-up. During the pulling the individual groups of the control rods out,
the unit will move in accordance with the operating procedures into Mode No.
2," Milan Nebesár added. 
CEZ, a.s. PRESS RELEASE, October 9, 2000
Ing. Milan Nebesár
Press Spokesman-Temelín NPP

<end quote>

-----Original Message-----
From: Franz Schoenhofer [mailto:franz.schoenhofer@chello.at]
Sent: Wednesday October 11, 2000 4:35 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Start of Temelin NPP

RADSAFERS,

I am surprised that nobody of you has yet distributed the lastest nuclear
news:

The nuclear power plant at Temelin in the Czech Republic has been started on
Monday and today at 6:19 a.m. Middle European Summer Time the first chain
reaction was achieved.

Please spare me to comment on the reactions of the Austrian government,
their ridiculous threat to veto the entrance of the Czech Republic into the
European Union, the "blocking" of the border mostly by Austrian school
children. Surprisingly I have not heard or read any comment from Greenpeace
and other groups, not seem them on the videos from the border. The German
Minister of Environment, Trittin, has clearly said, that the start of this
NPP will not hinder the Czech Republic to become a member of the EU.
(Remember, Trittin is the one who managed, that German NPPs will be shut
down the next 20 years or so.)

Best regards,

Franz

Franz Schoenhofer
Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water 
Management, Department of Radiation Protection
Radetzkystr. 2;A-1031 Vienna;;;Austria

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