Drills for nuclear workers in Russia are held annually, with the largest being the Comprehensive Emergency Drills (CED). They cover a Russian nuclear power plant (a branch of Rosenergoatom Concern) and its surroundings, helping all ministries and departments to practice actions to protect the population and the environment in emergency situations at the facility. In 2024, the Kola Nuclear Power Plant and the Polyarnye Zori urban district were tasked with checking emergency preparedness. At the Kola Nuclear Power Plant alone, the CED involved 90 units of mobile special equipment and about 1,100 people.
During the CED, the Kola Nuclear Power Plant's power units operated normally, with no interference in their operation. However, according to Rosatom, the scenario of the exercise assumed a situation where it completely ceased operations. According to the CED legend, the Kola Nuclear Power Plant, located 200 km south of Murmansk on the shore of Lake Imandra, suffered severe damage due to a strong earthquake. The power units were shut down, external power supply stopped, the NPP building partially collapsed, and the radiation situation around it began to deteriorate, requiring the evacuation of the population of Polyarnye Zori and nearby areas.
The NPP personnel successfully organized work to eliminate the consequences of a simulated accident. Mobile emergency equipment (mobile diesel generator and pumping units) was put into operation to provide autonomous power supply and cooling water to the power units. NPP employees also practiced sheltering with subsequent evacuation. The specialized fire and rescue unit No. 6 of the Kola NPP checked skills in extinguishing various types of fires, MSCh-118 checked first aid skills, and the headquarters, headed by the station director Vasily Omelchuk, worked out practical actions to manage a simulated emergency situation, launch a local emergency warning system, and inform the public.
Representatives of Rosatom highly appreciated the work of all services, ministries and departments during the CED and the professionalism of their employees. The same assessment was given by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The work done during the exercises demonstrates a high level of readiness for possible emergencies. After analyzing the results, it is necessary to make adjustments to civil defense plans.
It is worth noting that the exercises were attended by representatives of various departments and organizations, including specialists from the emergency assistance team for nuclear power plants (OPAS) of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC, Rostekhnadzor, emergency technical and situational crisis centers of Rosatom, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the FMBA of Russia, regional authorities and local self-government bodies.
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