Nucléaire Russe

[energy_isere]

Third unit at Kursk II gets approval from Rostekhnadzor

Thursday, 6 March 2025

Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has issued a location licence for the proposed third unit at the Kursk II nuclear power plant, allowing preparatory work to begin for construction.



Kursk II will more than replace Kursk NPP's output (Image: Rosatom)

Kursk II is a new nuclear power plant in western Russia, about 60 kilometres (37.5 miles) from the Ukraine border, that will feature four VVER-TOI reactors, the latest version of Russia's large light-water designs. They have upgraded pressure vessels and a higher power rating of 3300 MWt that enables them to generate 1300 MWe gross. Construction of the first unit began in 2018, its polar crane was installed in October 2021 and the reactor vessel was put in place in June 2022. Concreting of the outer dome of the first unit was completed in August 2023. The second unit is also under construction.

The new units will replace the four units at the existing, nearby Kursk nuclear power plant, which are scheduled to have shut by 2031. The first unit was shut down after 45 years of operation in December 2021. The original design life for the four RBMK-1000 reactors at the plant was for 30 years but had been extended by 15 years following life extension programmes.

Kursk NPP Director Alexander Uvakin said: "We have substantiated and proven that the placement of power unit No.3 with a VVER-TOI reactor complies with Russian standards and regulations in the field of nuclear energy use. The project has worked out all aspects of safety in detail ... an analysis of the current and predicted state of the area where the sites will be located allows us to assess all power units of Kursk NPP-2 as environmentally safe."

Alexander Khazin, Advisor to the President of JSC ASE, said: "The presence of a placement licence allows us to begin the preparatory period of construction. Considering that almost the entire territory is located within the existing land allotment of Rosenergoatom, this will help preserve valuable agricultural and forest lands. Also, there are no historical and cultural monuments or specially protected natural sites within its boundaries."

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/arti ... tekhnadzor

[energy_isere]

First concrete poured for Leningrad's eighth unit

Thursday, 20 March 2025

A ceremony has been held to mark first concrete being poured on Thursday for the foundation of the reactor building for unit 4 at the Leningrad II nuclear power plant in Russia.

Leningrad units 1 and 2 - both 1000 MWe RBMK units - shut down in 2018 and 2020, respectively. As the first two of the plant's four RBMK-1000 units shut down, new VVER-1200 units started at the neighbouring Leningrad II plant. The 60-year service life of these fifth and sixth units (also known as Leningrad II-1 and Leningrad II-2) secures power supply until the 2080s. Units 7 and 8 will replace units 3 and 4 as they are shut in the coming years.

Fiirst concrete was poured for unit 7 in March 2024 and marked the start of the main phase of construction of the new power unit, which is expected to generate power for 60 years, with the possibility of a 20-year extension.

Unit 8 has now reached the same step a year later. Representatives from Rosatom's VVER-1200-powered plants in Belarus, Egypt and Bangladesh took part in the ceremony via videolink.

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Leningrad units 7 and 8 (or Leningrad II-3 and Leningrad II-4) are planned to be commissioned in 2030 and 2032, respectively.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/arti ... ighth-unit