50 sheds of grey

Sunday - a grey day in a grey place.

Sad, frozen pool

Sorry if it sounds a bit depressing, it isn't meant to be but is more a description of Cernavoda on a Sunday afternoon in December.  There's something about these types of day where the cloud hangs low, it's just 2-3 degrees C above freezing.  We seemed to have many such days in Kozloduy where the only thing to be seen moving was gangs of rampant Brits looking for a bar which was open, showing football and warm.


Sunday was such a day.  I wrenched myself away from a rerun of 'Sounds of the 60s' on BBC radio and headed off for some air. With the trusty Nikon.




It's not that the place really is grey - well, I lie.  Most is as the blocks are rendered in grey or made from grey concrete.  The paths are grey except where they are black - and they are the holes revealing mysterious chambers below...

Couldn't see the depth of that hole

It was one of those days which is 180 degrees off the summer experience.  Even poor Snow White looked forlorn.

Current Affairs

As for the history of Europe in the 20th century, some local artists are a little out of touch with 1945's developments.  I liked the subtlety of this particular sentiment.

Expecting crowds

And steps which wouldn't look out of place at a Premier League football ground...












Most Cernavodians sensibly spend their Sunday afternoons (a) asleep, (b) shopping or (c) watching 'Romania's Got Talent' on tv.  Only mad dogs (plenty of them around) and Englishmen (far fewer) go out in the grey of Cernavoda.

At least when it snows, it covers all the shite up...

Tritium and the Transylvanian Alps

Last week there was an IAEA-sponsored workshop on the safety and licensing issues associated with facilities used for the separation of tritium from normal heavy water - fascinating stuff, eh?  Yeah.

I went as it was relating to the project I manage.  It was held at one of our contractor's locations in Ramnicu Valcea, north west of Bucharest.  It is about 5 hours from here so not a short trip.

After the usual delays at work, Dan and I left about 3 pm, struggled through Bucharest rush hour and the mountain road in the dark (and heavily populated with big trucks) arriving about 8 pm.  The high point of the evening was a dinner with the Canadian speakers (Canada is the leader in tritium removal technologies), not very exciting but we hoped it would get better tomorrow (it didn't for one of them, the chap who had the salmon was violently sick all night...).

It didn't for the rest either...

The workshop consisted of a series of 'death-by-Powerpoint' presentations which generally were very tedious.  This coupled with hard chairs and no tables to lean/write on meant for a long day.  What is it about people and Powerpoint?  One irritation is the presenter who writes his/her whole presentation on the slide and then, facing the screen, not the audience, proceeds to read it out word for word.  Another is the technical specialist who uses sliding/rotating words and awful colour combinations...we had all variants.  It's not that the subject was uninteresting (honest) - they just made it difficult to focus on the message.

We lasted a day and a half before we headed to our contractor's laboratory to view the pilot plant.  This has been under development since 1995 and is yet to go 'active'.  Make what you like from that.  It is substantial for a pilot plant, the main vessel costing some 8 million Euros...so it had better work soon and demonstrate the technology we need to use for the real plant.

Hotel

At about 4.30 Dan and I (with Dan's friend Ileana who'd turned up) set off for a small hotel in Voineasa, a small village tucked up in the Transylvanian Alps.  it was a very small informal hotel, but new and we were made to feel very welcoming.  Clearly, this was a great place for skiing - given a flake or two landing.  As you can see, it didn't look like any was on its way.  We ate at the hotel and had a few beers - we were late as Dan needed a new tyre on the way due to some damage caused earlier.

Dam & Fish Farm

Hotel at the summit - and open!

The plan next day was to drive north and then take one of the smaller mountain roads south (the Transfagarasan Highway) which would be very picturesque. We set off about 10.30h and drove some way up the windy road, climbing higher at quite a rate.  We stopped at a tourist spot (amidst the tat sellers) but it seemed like the road ahead was closed for the winter.  Dan's opinion was that 'they just tell you that to cover themselves...'.  Er, OK, so off we went further past a concrete barrier with the words (in Romanian) 'Road Closed Ahead'.   "They are just saying that" was the response.  Off we went further until we got to the lake at the summit - where there is a tunnel through the mountain (@ 2100 m). Guess what?  Yep. A big steel gate sits in the tunnel and....yes, locked shut.  

So, a coffee in a hotel perched on the lake side and we returned.  It wasn't so many kms, but a slow road as you can see from the photo (which doesn't do it justice).  It was a very good drive, pity we couldn't complete it, the gate being shut at the start of November until about May next.  I hope I'm still in RO to see it open!  The road is the one featured in Top Gear.

Northern approach

So, we drove back via a somewhat less appealing route but still interesting - through lot of small villages where seeing a couple of cars pass through was evidently still relatively unusual it seemed!  Avoiding loose cows and goats was a real challenge. 

I didn't record the number of kms driven, but it was a very interesting trip.  I had some scepticism over the use of 'Alps' however these mountains are very impressive and look like good skiing country in a short while. 

100 Grit?

In a moment of idleness today (in case anyone from CNE is reading this, it was probably in my lunchtime) I noticed that the toilet paper in the plant's 'conveniences' had a different texture on either side.  Initially, I put this down to piss-poor manufacturing quality but then realised that it is probably intentional and actually a jolly good idea.  What can be better than a good 100 grit abrasion followed by, say, 400 grit to polish?  Maybe it goes further, perhaps some places use wet and dry?

All in all, a fine idea, one that Romania can be proud of - it's right up there with their brilliant plastic bank notes!

The People's Palace

Last Saturday, I went to Bucharest specifically to visit the People's Palace (as it seems to be commonly known as).  I parked in a shopping centre by the ring road and took the metro.  On arriving, there were a lot of people milling around.  However, all was not that bad, they headed off for their allotted tours and things got quieter.  It seemed there was a 2 hour tour in English starting at 1045h so I went for it. 45 Lei for a ticket, 30 Lei for a camera permit.

Rules were quite strict - no deviation from the group, no joining other groups, no wandering off - some code was quoted which would probably result in an unpleasant weekend in a Romanian jail if applied!  The ubiquitous metal detector was also there complete with several stern-looking security types.

Anyway, off we went. About 30 of us.

I'm not sure how to describe the interior - it was just vast, huge, monstrous - even grotesque.  White marble on every surface.  Long galleries (for what?), very large rooms with very high ceilings...a theatre (with a stage too small to be of any practical use) etc.  It was clearly built to top anything similar in Europe in it's day.  A peak into the local history reveals that Ceausescu wanted to outshine everyone else in its grandeur.  This extended to the wholescale clearance of large tracts of land in the centre of the city and the construction of a 4 km boulevard which was bigger (purposefully) that the Champs Elysee in Paris.  By the way, this clearance involved the demolition of thousands of houses and relocation to blocks of their inhabitants.
This all looks fine today as the view shows from the palace...but at a price.

There were a number of governmental chambers in use which weren't on the tour so it is being used for its original purpose.  I'm unclear whether Ceausescu ever planned to actually live there but its purpose was clearly wider than that.  I gather that many, many rooms are abandoned/unused - our tour was carefully planned to show the glossy bits. 

A visit to the roof was included - lots of opportunities to take in the impressive views.  A closer look at the outside of the building shows that a lot of the marble is looking shaky in places.

We also had a short visit to (a very small part of) the basement.  Our guide said that she hadn't been briefed on any information on the extent of the below ground levels however the original (Ceausescu) plan was for 12 floors up, and 12 down.  That never materialised but there are several layers and extensive tunnels and, as every palace should have, a nuclear-proof bunker.  Locals who have been there on private trips confirm these floors but it's strange why they are not openly acknowledged.  The guide did tell us to watch Top Gear, series 14, episode 1 where they drove in the tunnels...so I did.


Construction started in 1984, and took 10 years to complete.  Sadly (?),
Ceausescu never saw it completed (it was at 70% complete when he ended up against the wall).  He did show a lot of interest in its construction, naturally...  The twin staircases in the entrance hall were rebuilt seven times before they met his high quality standards!

It's impressive.  Apparently, it has the 2nd largest building footprint in the world (2nd to the Pentagon).  It would be good to see it more openly on use.  It wasn't stated how much it cost, but judging by the vast numbers visiting, and the cost they charge, they're probably well on the way to recouping some of the cost!

2 h for the tour seemed a long time at the start but it passed quickly.  A recommended visit while in Bucharest.

And, by the way, they're building a cathedral in the back yard...

Queuing in Romania

They don't.

The Job (2)

A bit more about my job here.

Heavy water in CANDU reactors is irradiated as it does its job and tritiated water is produced - which is radioactive.  After a number of years the level of tritiated water in the coolant/moderator builds up and becomes a radiation uptake risk to workers.  This is particularly a problem when a major overhaul is planned.

Unit 1 has such a major overhaul coming up in around 2020/21 and so it was decided years ago to build a facility which would process the heavy water and remove the tritium component rendering the heavy water suitably unradioactive for another 20+ years. So, was born the Cernavoda Tritium Removal Facility (CTRF) which would do this.  The tritium can be recovered and used for military purposes should you so wish to do so.  It's easy to find on the internet what you use it for...

The CTRF project seems to have started in around 2006 but has been the subject of piss-poor planning and management by a number of stakeholders since then such that in 2013 we have not yet completed the conceptual design and now its urgent as it will take several years to complete the design, find a construction contractor, build it, and commission it all before the planned shutdown occurs.

Kinectrics has been involved as a technical design consultant/design house for some years based on their experience with tritium removal facilities in Canada and South Korea (where the technology works OK).  A Romanian company was the project manager...  In early 2013, CNE eventually figured out that there was a major problem here and asked Kinectrics to take the project management lead to get it designed and licensed.  So they sought an experienced PM who could handle such a long-running, complex project.  They couldn't find one but I decided to help them out.

We're about to get 'turned back on again' once we establish the safety and licensing requirements and agree them with the nuclear regulator, then the money will flow, the design will restart and I get to be a PM again.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Braşov

Last weekend, I took a trip to Braşov, a fairly large city towards the centre of Romania.  It was almost 400 kms from Cernavoda but mostly along motorway/good quality roads.  I chose the town because it seemed to get a good entry in my Lonely Planet guide and the famed Bran Castle was nearby.  Plus, I have a car so it's a shame not to use it. 

I got there about 2.45pm on Saturday having endured what seemed like ages queuing through some small towns through which all the tourist traffic was funneled.  I found the hotel - looked good on Trivago.com and offered B&B for £28.  Using the trusty GPS made it easy.  I parked the car and headed into town.  

I had looked forward to the Gothic architecture Braşov is famous for only to find that they were celebrating their Oktoberfest...seems this part of Romania has a high Germanic influence.  Not wanting to be unfriendly, I partook in beer and food and enjoyed the ambiance   This was ok but the tedious electro-pop from some numpties on the stage wore a bit.  

As a break I visited the Black Church (left), supposedly the largest church of that particular German style east of somewhere or other.  It was impressive.

I headed back to the hotel later on, somewhat worn down by the challenge of the music (remember, I quite like most types but this was different).  When back, lo and behold, the ongoing concert was on TV and featured a good rock band...never mind. 

Bran Castle

On Sunday I headed 30 kms to Bran where Bran Castle is. I went early to avoid the coachloads of Japanese tourists who flock to Romania's most popular tourist attraction.  It was very impressive and I was sure it was where Keith and I had visited on our trip in 1976.  It has a link to Vlad the Impaler who has a very tenuous link to the story of Dracula however that doesn't stop the castle being seen as 'Dracula's Castle' (a lot is made of this inside...). 

Cutlery, maybe

Back to Cernavoda the same route but beating the traffic by being a bit earlier.  I bought some goat's cheese wrapped in bark and some honey so felt just like a real tourist (i.e. ripped off, no doubt).

The Job (1)

A few words about what I'm doing here (or trying to do).

Firstly some background:

Romania has a single nuclear power station at Cernavoda.  Five units were planned however only two
were finished.  The three others are just shells and will require a lot to complete them (should a few billion Lei ever come available).



The reactor type is CANDU signifying that it uses heavy water as a coolant and moderator and natural uranium fuel.  Not surprisingly, the design is Canadian.  What is a bit surprising to the foreigner here is why a Canadian design was chosen over the more prelavent VVER design from Russia.  Most of the surrounding countries with nuclear power are firmly set in the Russian-designed technology.  When one starts to look into why this choice was made, it opens up the whole dialogue of how Ceausescu wasn't one for blindly following the Moscow lead but who was a bit of a renegade 'doing his own thing'.  The choice of CANDU reactors is a case in point - he didn't want to be too tightly controlled by Moscow on this technology, preferring to be independant.  As no uranium enrichment was required, this simplified fuel manufacture so it could all be done inside Romania (as it has been done so since the programme began).  He bucked the trend on a few other issues, notably refusing to sanction the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.  Ceausescu tried to keep one foot (just) inside the western Europe domain.  However, as we know, it didn't do him much good in the end, but that's for another post perhaps.

Cooling water is supplied from a channel off the Danube-Black Sea canal.  All waste is currently stored onsite.  Unit 1 started in 1996, Unit 2 in 2007. Both are rated at 700 MW output.

Canada is still quite involved in the site, particularly on upgrades, outages, repairs etc.  They clearly also built most of the apartment campus where I live (a clue being a large maple leaf embossed into the side of one building...). 

Constanta

On Sunday I drove to Constanta (or, more accurately, Constan'ts'a but this blog doesn't allow a 't' with a tail).  It's about 60 kms, or 40 mins.  I used the Satnav which got me quite easily into the centre where I parked (I'd upgraded the maps on the TomTom to Eastern Europe and it's very accurate so far).

The resort is not too large but with nice beaches along the Black Sea.  The town however is a bit variable with nice buildings (some undergoing renovation) but others where construction has just stopped. Dead (see right).

The town has a big port and is the gateway to the Black Sea-Danube canal which allows access through Romania, Bulgaria etc. into central Europe.

Some evidence of past glory is evident with the famous casino on the quayside (below).

Casino

I had lunch, walked along the shore for a while and then hit the motorway back to Cernavoda.  I gather that others from where I stay go to Constanta for an evening - the choice of restaurants is (somewhat) higher...

Marina

Dogs...

I'd gathered that dogs were...erm, an issue in Romania but I had no idea of quite how many there were.  They are everywhere, singly or in roaming packs.

I gather from a colleague that they love chasing cyclists so you need to be well armed when cycling - with a repellent spray ideally.  You see them mostly in the towns or villages (not surprisingly) but occasionally miles away from houses, walking exhausted along the side of the road in the heat of the day.

Then there are the dead ones...I suppose it's survival of the fittest (or fastest).  Flat(ish) on the road or bloated with legs in the air on the side....

Drive on...they're past help.

On the positive side, I have seen 2-3 dog rescue centres which, I assume, try to alleviate the problem probably through sterilization but they have their work cut out for them.

Next time our dog is looking miserable 'cos she's gone off Chappie dog food with added chicken and vitamins, I'll point out a few facts to her.

Home #2

OK, a week and a bit into the new job so time to put finger to keyboard a bit more.

My apartment, bottom left

I have an apartment in the 'Campus', my part of which was built about 10-11 years ago.  It's quite new and shiny still, is quite secure (security patrols/gate checks etc.) and about 1 km from work.  It's provided free by the plant ('CNE') and it includes daily muck-out, sheets, towels, electricity...). I just pay for food and the internet which works out at £15/month.  My apartment is on the left side of this block, ground floor.  It has air-con which is OK but the test will be in winter.  I'm not yet sure of the make-up of the inmates in our part, that will become apparant soon.  There are a number of Canadians about (CNE plant is a Canadian design).  I've already met a few of them.

Kinectrics provide me with a rental car (also in photo).  First time around, it's a Passat which is fine except for a knocking from the front joints when turning sharply.  Hopefully I'll get the same car again next time I'm out here as I am in the process of getting a car pass for the car park.

The campus has a couple of pools which are free to use.  Most apartments are smaller and older.  I have a feeling the the expats get the nicer ones.  There's a restaurant on site but only open at breakfast and lunch for station workers.  Apparantly you need special permission to go in if you're not a CNE employee.

It's a 1/2 mile walk into the town centre so not that far. More about the exciting selection of shops later...

A start

I thought about keeping a diary when in Kozloduy but it never got off the ground.  I need to try harder this time - even if it's just me who reads it!

Anyway, I travel to Romania tomorrow, to start work on Monday.  It wasn't a good start to a weekend as Maria's mother unexpectedly died on Friday night so that's thrown us into some turmoil.  I'm still going as planned - we'll see what happens to the funeral date etc.

I'll be project manager for a consortium of Romanian and Canadian companies who are currently designing the Cernavoda Tritium Removal Facility to be built at Cernavoda in SE Romania (hence the blog title!).  It's in some disarray at present as it is without any management so I have plenty to dig into.

I visited Cernavoda in June for a short visit with Ken Jackson.  The town is quite like Kozloduy (size, amenities) so that was no issue.  The town is about 2 hr from Bucharest via a new motorway which should help travel (the road from Kozloduy to Sofia was really bad at times for (a) bad weather and (b) bad drivers).

Tonight's Anthems night at RAF Cranwell so maybe that'll lift us up out of our gloom a bit.

More soon - unless this blog goes the same way as the last!