In early August, the affiliate ”SS ”South Ukraine nuclear power plant” held a competition of scientific reports among young employees. According to the jury, the most interesting and substantiated papers were those on the use of artificial intelligence in translation and on the involvement of students in future work in the nuclear industry. The winners of the competition will represent the SUNPP in the next, industry-specific stage to be held in September.

The Joint-Stock Company “NNEGC “Energoatom” hosts the scientific report competition annually. The first stages are held at the sites of nuclear power plants. The purpose of the event at the affiliate ”SS SUNPP” is to stimulate initiative, unlock scientific and technical potential, and improve the general level of knowledge of young employees.

Four participants took part in the production area. Three of them studied under the trilateral agreement “university – student – affiliate ”SS SUNPP”. The contestants' intellectual developments concerned the use of artificial intelligence tools in translation, methods of cleaning lubrication systems, strategies for protecting nuclear energy infrastructure from military threats, and methods for assessing the environmental impact of AP-1000 reactor emissions. “The papers of all four participants were quite relevant. One of the contestants covered the topic of protection and construction of protective structures at NPPs, which is very important because we live in a war. Given our joint-stock company is entering the international market and we work closely with foreign companies, using CAT systems in translation is also important. The participant who studied the construction of AP-1000 power units and their environmental impact hit the spot. The topic of improving the operation of lubrication systems is equally relevant. If young professionals consider these issues urgent if they want to find ways to address them, this certainly deserves respect,” said Anton Pletnyov, a member of the contest committee and Deputy Head of the Youth Organization of affiliate ”SS SUNPP”.

The achievements of young colleagues were evaluated by representatives of a special committee chaired by Volodymyr Bohatchuk, Deputy General Director of the affiliate ”SS SUNPP”. Skilled specialists not only listened to the contestants' reports but also asked questions and were interested in the application of their achievements in the practice of the South Ukraine Power Complex.

As for the evaluation criteria, the committee members took into account the relevance and importance of the topic for the nuclear industry, the completeness and accessibility of the material presented, the novelty of proposals and approaches, and the quality of answers to questions. In this regard, Svitlana Vihor, the interpreter of the International Cooperation and Technical Assistance Department of the affiliate ”SS SUNPP”, took first place, Kyrylo Murenko, the turbine hall equipment operator on patrol of the Turbine Shop-2 of affiliate ”SS SUNPP”, took the second place, and Mykola Yavorskyi, the turbine hall equipment operator on patrol of the Reactor Shop-2 of affiliate ”SS SUNPP”, took the third place. Justifying his participation in the scientific report competition, Mykola Yavorskyi said, “I believe that any employee who has ambitions and wants to achieve more in their career should prove themselves in such competitions. Nuclear energy offers great opportunities, so we need to use them, participate in such events, and demonstrate our achievements and best practices.”

Only one paper was presented in the social & trade union area. Its author is Oleksii Mosiaiev, an engineer in the Production & Technical Equipment Department. He explored the challenges and opportunities for attracting students to future work in the Ukrainian energy sector and looked for ways to engage employees.

The winners and runners-up of the scientific report competition will receive diplomas, cash prizes, and special prizes from the SUNPP Youth Organization.

Svitlana Vihor and Oleksiy Mosiaiev will represent South Ukraine NPP at the industry stage of the competition in September.