Automatic shutdown system fails at Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP

MOSCOW. August 26. KAZINFORM The automatic shutdown system failed at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant, the Federal Environmental, Technological and Atomic Supervisory Service head Nikolai Kutyin told a Tuesday press conference, Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.

In all, the hydropower plant had three security systems but none of them worked as it should at the accident moment.

The service seized all documents related to the condition of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP units, Kutyin told the Vesti news channel before the press conference.

There was no criticism of the technical condition of Sayano-Shushenskaya units during last year's inspection, Kutyin said. "The power plant diagnostics was timely," he noted. "The units could have worked for 50 or 60 years with the normal operation, timely repairs, proper maintenance and diagnostics. We devoted the first two days after the accident [August 17 and 18] to the dam. We did not see any danger. We think that all the destructions occurred in the engine room."

There is no 'human factor' theory so far, he said. "It is hard to speak about a human factor in the 2nd unit's accident, although the situation certainly had some human factor. The 60-minute duration of the accident is related to the actions of the power plant personnel," Kutyin said, Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.