The Russian state nuclear company JSC NIAEP-JSC Atomstroyexport (ASE) and Intergraph® have signed a collaboration agreement for NIAEP – ASE to use Intergraph SmartPlant® Enterprise solutions to design, build and manage complex project scheduling and create capabilities fulfilling the unique demands of nuclear power facilities.

Twenty current projects in Russia and abroad are either under construction or being designed by NIAEP-ASE, making it the company with the largest design and FEED work portfolio in newly-built nuclear facilities worldwide. Intergraph and NIEAP-ASE enjoy a long-term collaboration in designing, building and managing complex and demanding nuclear facilities: NIAEP-ASE defines the project goals according to its standards, while Intergraph provides engineering software and implements plant solutions. Intergraph SmartPlant Enterprise solutions used by NIAEP-ASE include Smart 3D, SmartPlant P&ID, SmartPlant Instrumentation and SmartPlant Foundation.

NIAEP-ASE vice-president-director of design Yury Ivanov said: "Intergraph solutions are industrial, innovative, help us to achieve our goals and redesign plants effectively."

The agreement, signed by NIAEP-ASE president Valery Limarenko and Intergraph process, power & marine division president Gerhard Sallinger, reflects the current trend of increasing collaboration between the companies. It was signed on the opening day of the third International Research and Practice Forum Multi-D "Complex Facility Life-Cycle Management. Operation Support Tools," a nuclear power industry event in Moscow.

Limarenko said: "The collaboration with Intergraph enables us to build plants that meet high-quality production performance and highly demanding safety standards." Sallinger, who participated in a discussion on technologies in the nuclear power sector, said: "Intergraph’s collaboration with NIAEP-ASE has made us a stronger player as a software provider in the nuclear sector, strengthening our know-how and the support we can provide to customers worldwide."

The ARC Advisory Group, a leading industry analyst firm, ranked Intergraph as the number one overall worldwide provider of engineering design solutions for industry, according to its "Engineering Design Tools for Industry and Infrastructure Worldwide Outlook Market Analysis and Forecast Through 2016."