Igor Linge, Deputy Director of Nuclear Safety Institute

– It is a general rule to carry out repair and modernization before extension of service life

The Government of Spain has decided to extend the life of the country’s oldest nuclear power plant in Garona till 2013. The plant was commissioned in 1970 and was supposed to operate for 40 years. Earlier, Russia decided to extend the service lives of the reactors of Kola Nuclear Power Plant (Murmansk region).

This is a sensible decision. At first, we planned to shut down the facility in 10–15 years but later we found out that the plant still had resources for effective operation and that the decision to shut it down was unreasonable. Before deciding a reactor’s fate one should assess its real state: if it is able to work, if its equipment have sufficient resources for further operation. Today, we are passing from forecasts to real assessments.

The process of life extension should be accompanied with regular inspections: inspectors should thoroughly examine the reactor and should oblige the operators to eliminate any slightest problems they may detect. It is a general rule to carry out repair and modernization before extension of service life.