NIKIMT-Atomstroy

In 1956, the USSR Ministry of Medium Machine-Building created a design and installation department to carry out complex development of technological processes, special equipment and accessories for the installation of complex nuclear facilities ^[4] . In 1961, the Research and Design Institute of Installation Technology (NIKIMT) was established on the basis of management. Since 1963, the Institute has been carrying out tasks on the development, manufacture and implementation of complexes of special automated cutting and welding equipment for routine maintenance and repair work, and is also engaged in the development and implementation of technology to normalize the radiation environment using polymer coatings ^[5] .

By 1970, NIKIMT developed systems for automated and mechanized operational control of reactor equipment, working in places where human presence is impossible or limited ^[5] . In 1986, 260 specialists of the institute, under the supervision of Yuri Yurchenko, Director General of NIKIMT, participated in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident : they designed means for installing the Shelter object, cleaning roofs, and decontaminating the territory of the station and the city of Pripyat ^{[6] [7]} .

In 2001, Rosatomstroy Concern was established to increase the efficiency of Rosatom construction projects ^[8] . In 2006, NIKIMT and the Tomsk State Design and Research Institute VNIPIET were merged with ISK Rosatomstroy, which led to the creation of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Investment and Construction Concern Rosatomstroy, which was later transformed into the Open Joint Stock Company Investment and Construction Concern Atomstroy ”, later renamed to OJSC“ NIKIMT-Atomstroy ” ^[5] . In 2012, by the decision of Rosatom state corporation, the enterprise became part of the Atomenergoproekt OJSC management circuit ^{[9] [10]} .

The structure of JSC NIKIMT-Atomstroy includes nine branches conducting research and development, development of complex technological processes, design and engineering surveys:

• Tomsk Design and Research Institute VNIPIET . Located in the city of Seversk, Tomsk Region . He is engaged in the development of design and engineering documentation, engineering-geodesic and engineering-geological surveys for reconstruction and construction ^[11] .

• Obninsk Engineering Center NIKIMT . It is located in the city of Obninsk, Kaluga Region . It is the leading material science organization for the selection of materials, development of welding technology and ensuring the quality of manufacturing of equipment and pipelines of nuclear power plants ^[12] .

• Krasnoyarsk branch of NIKIMT-Atomstroy JSC . Located in the city of Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory . Created for the construction of Zheleznogorsk TPP facilities ^[13] .

• F orial JSC NIKIMT-Atomstroy Directorate at Novovoronezh NPP . Located in the city of Novovoronezh, Voronezh region . The branch is building facilities of the Novovoronezh nuclear plant ^[14] .

• Branch of JSC NIKIMT-Atomstroy Directorate in the city of Ozersk . Located in the city of Ozersk, Chelyabinsk region . The branch builds and reconstructs the facilities of FSUE Production Association MAYAK ^[15] .

• Branch of NIKIMT-Atomstroy JSC Directorate at Smolensk NPP . Located in the city of Desnogorsk, Smolensk region . The branch is engaged in the construction of Smolensk NPP facilities ^[16] .

• Branch of NIKIMT-Atomstroy JSC Directorate at the Leningrad NPP . Located in the city of Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region . The branch was created for the technical acceptance of installation work during the construction of power units of the Leningrad NPP , the development of installation projects and documentation for pre-installation production preparation ^[17] .

• Branch of NIKIMT-Atomstroy JSC Directorate at Kursk NPP . Located in the city of Kurchatov, Kursk region . The branch was created for the construction of Kursk NPP facilities ^[18] .

• Branch of JSC NIKIMT-Atomstroy Directorate in the city of Dimitrovgrad . Located in the city of Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region . It was created in March 2014 for the construction of a research complex (PRK) of the State Research Center - Scientific Research Institute of Atomic Reactors OJSC (SSC RIAR) ^[19] .

NIKIMT-Atomstroy is the parent material science organization of Rosatom State Corporation, the parent organization for the development of technology for the installation, repair and dismantling of reactor equipment for nuclear plants, as well as the parent organization for non-metallic, polymeric materials and coatings ^[20] .

The main activities of the company are design and survey, construction and installation works, as well as spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and radioactive waste (RW) management . Design and survey work includes the construction, reconstruction and modernization of nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear energy facilities, the design of buildings and structures ^[21] . In particular, “NIKIMT-Atomstroy” built the building of the engineering and laboratory building for the Moscow enterprise SRP “Eleron” ^[22] , and also designs the buildings of the innovation center in Tomsk ^[23] .

The construction and installation area includes work on the design and manufacture of non-standard equipment, the manufacture and installation of hard and soft quick-detachable heat-insulating products, the certification and manufacture of anti-corrosion, deactivating and flame retardant coatings and polymer materials, the creation of an industrial television system, the design and manufacture of centrifugal extractors (in particular , for cleaning from radionuclides ), development of technology for automatic welding and cutting, training and certification and welders, specialists of non-destructive and destructive testing, certification of welding technologies and non-destructive testing laboratories, as well as metrological support ^[24] .

The company’s specialists created a system for container storage and SNF handling at the Smolensk NPP to work with metal-concrete containers (MBC) and spent fuel assemblies (SFAs). Other large-scale projects of NIKIMT-Atomstroy are related to the implementation of the agreement between the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy and the US Department of Energy dated March 12, 2003 to cease the production of weapons-grade plutonium ^[25] , within the framework of which the Severskaya TPP was reconstructed in 2005-2010, and since 2006 it has been under construction Zheleznogorsk TPP ^[26] .

As part of spent nuclear fuel management, the company designs and builds chamber (“dry”) and container (“wet”) spent fuel storage facilities, SNF reprocessing plants, manufactures equipment and supplies containers for the handling and transportation of spent nuclear fuel. NIKIMT-Atomstroy manufactures centrifugal extractors for uranium production, SNF processing and radionuclide purification, as well as for the production of zirconium and hafnium , the extraction of medicines from plant materials, the production of amino acids and the development of technological processes for the extraction and regeneration of etching solutions of electronic circuit boards ^{[ 27]} .

The company develops and applies anti-corrosion, deactivating and fire-retardant coatings for the treatment of radioactive waste, and carries out work to normalize the radiation situation at nuclear power plants and naval facilities. In particular, NIKIMT-Atomstroy specialists canned the V-9 reservoir ( Karachay Lake) using specially designed hollow blocks (PB-1). They designed a complex for processing and storage of radioactive waste with a typical VVER-TOI power unit, decommissioning the storage of radioactive waste at the Kursk NPP ^[27] .

According to the data provided to the site of the Russian Atomic Community by the company's press service, in 2013 the net profit of NIKIMT-Atomstroy OJSC amounted to 515.4 million rubles against 269.7 million rubles of net loss in 2012. The company's revenue increased by 20.2% and amounted to 4.8 billion rubles ^[1] . According to the annual report for 2012, the company's assets amounted to 28.3 billion rubles against 30 billion in 2011. The reason for the six percent decline in assets is the liquidation of two branches ^[2] .

During 2013, the company concluded 13 contracts; partnership agreements with the French company AREVA , German DEKRA Industrial and Czech ATG are supported. In addition, NIKIMT-Atomstroy continues to act as a partner in the training and certification of specialists in the field of destructive and non-destructive metal testing in accordance with Russian standards for foreign companies, in particular, Kazakhstan's MAEK-Kazatomprom, the Armenian and South-Ukrainian NPPs ^{[28 ]} .

• The official website of the company . (Retrieved April 15, 2014)
• NIKIMT-Atomstroy on the website of the Russian Atomic Community. (Retrieved April 15, 2014)