Transition of Responsibility for Maintenance, Support and Further Development of MPC&A Systems from the USPT to NCCP.

This presentation describes the final stage of cooperation under the MPC&A program between the U.S. DOE and Rosatom at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP). It covers the completion of a transition period when responsibility for maintenance, operational support and further development of the MPC&A systems transfers from the U.S. project team (USPT) to the NCCP. It illustrates the steady growth of NCCP's share in financing the upgrades of MPC&A from the beginning of cooperation in 1996. NCCP is a research and power reactor fuel manufacturer and can afford sufficient allocations from the fuel sales revenues to support the installed MPC&A systems. Rosatom State Corporation program on improvement of physical protection systems at its sites is another source of financing for the large scale projects. Some upgrades, like the upgrade to the internal perimeter surrounding Workshop 1 were not part of the international cooperation program. The allocations financed further hardening (strengthening) of the physical protection, accounting and control of nuclear materials. International cooperation to support the development of the site protective force is going on under the joint cooperation MPC&A program. Such support includes purchase of equipment, clothing, special protection hardware and training aids. Various sources are available for the protective force personnel to improve qualifications, including training at such centers as the Siberian Institute for Qualification Upgrades in Novosibirsk, the Interdepartmental Specialized Training Center (ISTC) in Obninsk, and the U.S. Hammer Training Center in Richland, Washington. This cooperation is promising and will be continued. This presentation refers to NCCP's plans to continue discussions of MPC&A issues under the program after all joint activities are finished. NCCP personnel are planning to participate in the discussion and solution of the MPC&A related issues, to support and continue the upgrades and to ensure efficient implementation of the MPC&A upgrades at the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]