November 1, 2019, Novovoronezh, Russia - Unit No.2 at the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II, containing ROSATOM’s flagship Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactor, was put into commercial operation 30 days ahead of schedule, after the green light from Russia’s regulator Rostechnadzor. The full commissioning marks a key event for the Russian nuclear industry.
“Hundreds of nuclear specialists contributed to the implementation of this project. А new powerful generation source was added to the Russian energy system. We can now use this dual-unit NPP design as a reference for our foreign projects”, said Alexander Lokshin, First Deputy Director General for Operations Management of Rosatom and President of ASE Group of Companies. “We have accumulated vast experience in construction, production organisation, procurement, supply, and finance, as well as our continuously increasing effectiveness. This is crucial to meeting modern market requirements and facing the large-scale challenges when constructing nuclear power plants.”
The VVER-1200 is the flagship of ROSATOM’s Generation III+ PWR-type reactor and the world’s only Generation III+ design in serial construction. Unit No. 2 at the Novovoronezh-2 NPP is the third in the series, following unit No. 1 at the same NPP, launched in 2016, and unit No. 1 at the Leningrad-2 NPP, launched in 2017. Since being connected to the grid on May 1, 2019, unit No.2 has already generated 2.5 billion kWh of electricity.
The launch of the reactor increases the share of nuclear power in Central Russia’s electricity grid to 27%, preventing an average of four million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being discharged into the air, while giving a further boost to the region’s economy.
The innovative Generation III+ power unit, equipped with the VVER-1200 reactor, has a number of economic and safety advantages when compared to the previous generation (VVER-1000): it is 20% more powerful; requires 30 to 40% less personnel operating the reactor; and has double the lifetime – 60 years, with the possibility extending it by an additional 20 years.
The following countries, among others, have chosen to adopt this technology: Finland, Hungary, China, Bangladesh and Belarus. Rosatom’s foreign orders portfolio currently comprises of 36 VVER unit projects at different implementation stages across 12 markets.