Nuclear power in Russia

Russia is one of the world's largest producers of nuclear energy. In 2012 total electricity generated in nuclear power plants in Russia was 177.3 TWh, 17.78% of all power generation. The installed gross capacity of Russian nuclear reactors stood at 25,242 MW.

Russia has made plans to increase the number of reactors in operation from 31 to 59. Old reactors will be maintained and upgraded, including RBMK units similar to the reactors at Chernobyl. The Russian energy strategy of 2003 set a policy priority for reduction in natural gas based power supply, aiming to achieve this through a doubling of nuclear power generation by 2020. In 2006, the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) announced targets for future nuclear power generation; providing 23% of electricity needs by 2020 and 25% by 2030.[1] In 2013 the Russian state allocated 80.6 billion rubles ($2.4 billion) toward the growth of its nuclear industry, especially export projects where Russian companies build, own and operate the power station, such as the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.[2]

Recent history

In accord with legislation passed in 2001, all Russian civil reactors are operated by Energoatom. More recently in 2007 Russian Parliament adopted the law "On the peculiarities of the management and disposition of the property and shares of organizations using nuclear energy and on relevant changes to some legislative acts of the Russian Federation", which created Atomenergoprom - a holding company for all Russian civil nuclear industry, including Energoatom, nuclear fuel producer and supplier TVEL, uranium trader Tekhsnabexport (Tenex) and nuclear facilities constructor Atomstroyexport.

The Russian government plans to allocate 127 billion rubles ($5.42 billion) to a federal program dedicated to the next generation of nuclear energy technology. About 1 trillion rubles ($42.7 billion) is to be allocated from the federal budget to nuclear power and industry development before 2015.[3] Through membership in the ITER project, Russia is also participating in the design of nuclear fusion reactors.

The overnight cost of construction in the seventies was 800 $/kW in 2016 dollars.[4]

The Russian nuclear industry employs around 200,000 people.[5] Russia is recognized for its nuclear disaster expertise and for the safety of its technology.[6][7][8][9] Russia is also pursuing an ambitious plan to increase sales of Russian-built reactors overseas,[10] and had 39 reactors under construction or planned overseas as of 2018.[11]

The VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor is the system currently offered for construction, being an evolution of the VVER-1000 with increased power output to about 1200 MWe (gross) and providing additional passive safety features.[12] In August 2016 the first VVER-1200, Novovoronezh II-1, was connected to the grid.[13]

In 2016 initial plans were announced to build 11 new nuclear power reactors by 2030, including the first VVER-600, a smaller two cooling circuit version of the VVER-1200, designed for smaller regions and markets.[14] Outline plans for near-surface disposal facilities for low and intermediate-level waste, and deep burial disposal facilities for high-level waste were also approved in the Krasnoyarsk Krai region.[14]

In October 2017 Rosatom was reported to be considering postponing commissioning new nuclear plants in Russia due to excess generation capacity and that new nuclear electricity prices are higher than for existing plant. The Russian government is considering reducing support for new nuclear under its support contracts, called Dogovor Postavki Moshnosti (DPM), which guarantee developers a return on investment through increased payments from consumers for 20 years.[15]

Nuclear power reactors

Reactors in operation

Nuclear power plants in Russia (view)
 Active plants
 Closed plants
 Unfinished plants
 Under construction plants

Eleven of Russia's reactors are of the RBMK 1000 type, similar to the one at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Some of these RBMK reactors were originally to be shut down but have instead been given life extensions and uprated in output by about 5%. Critics say that these reactors are of an "inherently unsafe design", which cannot be improved through upgrades and modernization, and some reactor parts are impossible to replace. Russian environmental groups say that the lifetime extensions "violate Russian law, because the projects have not undergone environmental assessments".[16]

Control room of a VVER-1000 in 2009, Kozloduy Unit 5
List of nuclear reactors in Russia [ view/edit ]
Name Unit
No.
Reactor Status Capacity in MW Construction start Commercial operation Closure
TypeModelNetGross
Akademik Lomonosov1PWRKLT-40SUnder construction323515 April 2007(2018)
2PWRKLT-40SUnder construction323515 April 2007(2018)
Balakovo1PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 December 198023 May 1986
2PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 August 198118 January 1988
3PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 November 19828 April 1989
4PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 April 198422 December 1993
5PWRVVER V-320Unfinished950100028 December 1992
6PWRVVER V-320Unfinished950100028 December 1992
Bashkir1PWRVVER-1000Unfinished100019801991
2PWRVVER-1000Unfinished100019801991
3PWRVVER-1000Unfinished100019801991
4PWRVVER-1000Unfinished100019801991
Beloyarsk1LWGRAMB-100Shut down1021081 June 195826 April 19641 January 1983
2LWGRAMB-200Shut down1461601 January 19621 December 19691 January 1990
3SFRBN-600Operational5606001 January 19691 November 1981
4SFRBN-800Operational78986418 July 200610 December 2015
5SFRBN-1200Planned11001220
6SFRBN-1600Planned15001600
Bilibino1LWGREGP-6Operational11121 January 19701 April 1974
2LWGREGP-6Operational11121 January 19701 February 1975
3LWGREGP-6Operational11121 January 19701 February 1976
4LWGREGP-6Operational11121 January 19701 January 1977
Dimitrovgrad1FBRSVBR-100Planned90100
Gorky1PWRAST-500Unfinished50019821993
2PWRAST-500Unfinished50019821993
Kalinin1PWRVVER V-338Operational95010001 February 197712 June 1985
2PWRVVER V-338Operational95010001 February 19823 March 1987
3PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 October 19858 November 2005
4PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 August 198625 December 2012
Kaliningrad1PWRVVER V-491Under construction
(suspended)[17]
1109119422 February 2012
2PWRVVER V-491Planned11091194
Kola1PWRVVER V-230Operational4414401 May 197028 December 1973
2PWRVVER V-230Operational4414401 May 197021 February 1975
3PWRVVER V-213Operational4414401 April 19773 December 1982
4PWRVVER V-213Operational4414401 August 19766 December 1984
Kola II[17]1PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
2PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
Kostroma[17]1PWRAES-2006Unfinished; restart planned1300135019791990
2PWRAES-2006Unfinished; restart planned1300135019791990
3PWRAES-2006Unfinished; restart planned1300135019791990
4PWRAES-2006Unfinished; restart planned1300135019791990
Kursk1LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 June 197212 October 1977
2LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 January 197317 August 1979
3LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 April 197830 March 1984
4LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 May 19815 February 1986
5LWGRRBMK-1000Unfinished92510001 December 1985
6LWGRRBMK-1000Unfinished92510001 August 1986
Kursk II1PWRVVER V-510Under Construction1115125529 April 2018
2PWRVVER V-510Planned11151255
3PWRVVER V-510Planned11151255
4PWRVVER V-510Planned11151255
Leningrad1LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 March 19701 November 1974
2LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 June 197011 February 1976
3LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 December 197329 June 1980
4LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 February 197529 August 1981
Leningrad II1PWRVVER V-491Under construction1085119925 October 2008
2PWRVVER V-491Under construction1085119915 April 2010(2019)
3PWRVVER V-491Planned10851170
4PWRVVER V-491Planned10851170
Nizhny Novgorod1PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
2PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
3PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
4PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
Novovoronezh1PWRVVER V-120Shut down1972101 July 195731 December 196416 February 1988
2PWRVVER V-120Shut down3363651 June 196414 April 197029 August 1990
3PWRVVER V-179Shut down3854171 July 196729 June 197225 December 2016
4PWRVVER V-179Operational3854171 July 196724 March 1973
5PWRVVER V-187Operational95010001 March 197420 February 1981
Novovoronezh II1PWRVVER V-392MOperational1114118024 June 200827 February 2017
2PWRVVER V-392MUnder construction1114119512 July 2009(2019)
3PWRVVER V-510Planned11751255
4PWRVVER V-510Planned11751255
Obninsk1LWGRAM-1Shut down561 January 19511 December 195429 April 2002
Rostov1PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 September 198125 December 2001
2PWRVVER V-320Operational95010001 May 198310 December 2010
3PWRVVER V-320Operational1011110015 September 200927 December 2014
4PWRVVER V-320Operational1011110016 June 201028 September 2018
Sakha1PWRRITM-200MPlanned4550
2PWRRITM-200MPlanned4550
Seversk1FBRBREST-300Planned280300
South Urals1FBRBN-1200Unfinished; restart planned1100122019821993
2FBRBN-1200Unfinished; restart planned1100122019821993
3FBRBN-1200Unfinished; restart planned1100122019821993
Smolensk1LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 October 197530 September 1983
2LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 June 19762 July 1985
3LWGRRBMK-1000Operational92510001 May 198412 October 1990
4LWGRRBMK-1000Unfinished9251000
5LWGRRBMK-1000Unfinished9251000
6LWGRRBMK-1000Unfinished9251000
Smolensk II1PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
2PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
3PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
4PWRAES-2006Planned13001350
Tatar1PWRAES-2006Unfinished; restart planned1300135019801990
2PWRAES-2006Unfinished; restart planned1300135019801990
3PWRUnfinished19801990
4PWRUnfinished19801990
Voronezh1PWRAST-500Unfinished5009 January 19835 July 1990
2PWRAST-500Unfinished5009 January 19835 July 1990

International NPP projects in the Russian nuclear industry

Country NPP Reactor Type MWe net MWe gross Construction start Commercially operational
Turkey Akkuyu-1/2/3/4 VVER-1200/491 1115 1200 2016 (1st block) 2023 (1st block)
Bangladesh Ruppur-1 VVER-1200/523 1080 1200 2017-11-30 2023
Ruppur-2 VVER-1200/523 1080 1200 2018-07-14 2024
Belarus Belarusian-1 VVER-1200/491 1115 1200 2013-11-06 2019
Belarusian-2 VVER-1200/491 1115 1200 2014-06-03 2020
Iran Bushehr-1 VVER-1000/446 915 1000 1975-05-01 (1995) 2013-09-23
Bushehr-2 VVER-1000/446 915 1000 2016-09-10 2025
Bushehr-3 VVER-1000/446 915 1000 2016-09-10 2027
India Kudankulam-1 VVER-1000/412 917 1000 2002-03-31 2013-10-22
Kudankulam-2 VVER-1000/412 917 1000 2002-07-04 2016-07-10
Kudankulam-3/4 VVER-1000/412 917 1000 negotiation
Slovakia Mochovce-3/4 VVER-440 440 471 1987-01-27 (November 2009) 2019
Vietnam Ninh Thuan 1-1/2 VVER-1000/428 950 1000 cancelled cancelled
Ninh Thuan 1-3/4 VVER-1000/428 950 1000 cancelled
China Tianwan-1 VVER-1000/428 990 1060 1999-10-20 2007-05-17
Tianwan-2 VVER-1000/428 990 1060 2000-10-20 2007-08-16
Tianwan-3 VVER-1000/428М 1050 1126 2012-12-27 2018
Tianwan-4 VVER-1000/428М 1050 1126 2013-09-27 2018
Ukraine Khmelnitskiy-3/4 VVER-1000/392B 950 1000 cancelled cancelled

In addition Atomstroyexport challenging NPP projects list contains:[18]

Nuclear engineering companies

  • Atomenergomash: power engineering company; produces steam generators for NPPs
  • Atommash: by far Russia's largest nuclear engineering plant designed to build up to 8 reactors per year, but after the collapse of the USSR reorganized privately by Energomash and today not able to produce reactor vessels
  • Atomstroyexport: nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly
  • OKBM Afrikantov: nuclear reactor design and engineering company. The world's leading company in production of fast breeder reactors.
  • OKB Gidropress: nuclear reactor design and engineering company

Safety

Russia, responding to the 2011 Japanese nuclear accidents, will perform a 'stress test' on all its reactors "to judge their ability to withstand earthquakes more powerful than the original design anticipated".[20]

See also

References

  1. "Russia invests in nuclear". World Nuclear News. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  2. RIA Novosti
  3. USA. (1982). Technology and Soviet energy availability. Boulder (Colo.: Westview press. p. 126.
  4. "Nuclear rethink urged". The Moscow News. 21 March 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011.
  5. "Benchmarking the global nuclear industry 2012 Heading for a fast recovery" (PDF). E&Y. 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2014-10-13.
  6. "Rosatom today and overview of its current and prospective Nuclear Power Plant projects" (PDF). Rosatom. 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2014-10-13.
  7. "International Standards of Safety and the Modern Projects of Nuclear Power Stations" (PDF). Rosatom. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
  8. "Russia's efforts to improve safety following the Chernobyl and the Fukushima accidents" (PDF). IBRAE. 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2014-10-14. External link in |publisher= (help)
  9. Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting
  10. "Russia leads the world at nuclear-reactor exports". The Economist. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  11. Nikolay Fil (26–28 July 2011). "Status and perspectives of VVER Status and perspectives of VVER nuclear power plants nuclear power plants" (PDF). OKB Gidropress. IAEA. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  12. "Russia connects Novovoronezh 6 reactor to grid". World Nuclear News. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Russia to build 11 new nuclear reactors by 2030". World Nuclear News. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  14. "Rosatom considers delaying reactor commissioning". Nuclear Engineering International. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  15. Igor Koudrik and Alexander Nikitin (13 December 2011). "Second life: The questionable safety of life extensions for Russian nuclear power plants". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
  16. 1 2 3 "Nuclear Power in Russia | Russian Nuclear Energy - World Nuclear Association". www.world-nuclear.org. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  17. Challenging NPP Projects JSC ASE
  18. NPP JSC ASE (Jordan)
  19. Matthew L. Wald (24 March 2011). "Russia Plans to Test Reactors For Ability to Survive Quakes". New York Times.
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