From December 1 to December 10, 2009 the first international insurance inspection of Leningrad NPP (LNPP) and Balakovo NPP (BalNPP) arranged by the International Pooling System at the request of the Russian Nuclear Insurance Pool was carried out. The inspection committee included Bruce Kettle, Technical Risks Manager of the British Nuclear Insurance Pool, representatives of Nuclear Insurance Pools of Ukraine and Scandinavia. They were accompanied by inspectors from the Chinese Nuclear Insurance Pool and representatives of the Russian Nuclear Insurance Pool (RNIP), JSC Nuclear Insurance Broker and Rosenergoatom concern. During those 10 days the inspectors checked the  general safety of high-power channel-type reactors and water-water energy reactors (WWER-1000). NPPs’ insurance risk was assessed for the insurance of property and civil liability for nuclear damage. International experts analyzed issues related to nuclear fuel handling, management structure and skill level of the NPP personnel, fire safety, environmental control, etc.

Based on the inspection results, the international inspectors came to the conclusion that the safety level of the LNPP and BalNPP complies with the world standards applied to NPPs with the these types of reactors and made the decision to lift the ban on the reinsurance of Russian NPPs’ property risks in the International Pooling System which unites nuclear insurance and reinsurance pools of 26 countries.

“International insurance inspection was the main condition for providing reinsurance protection of Rosenergoatom’s risks in the International Pooling System”, says Vadim Yanov, Chairman of the RNIP Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Management Board of SOGAZ Insurance Group. “The Russian Nuclear Insurance Pool has worked to lift this ban for nearly ten years, and now we have become a full member of the international nuclear damage liability insurance market. In the coming years RNIP plans to insure at least 30% of all civil liability risks of Russian NPPs in the International Pooling System.”