Russia is one of the world's largest producers of nuclear energy.
In 2020 total electricity generated in nuclear power plants in Russia was 215.746 TWh, 20.28% of all power generation.[1] The installed gross capacity of Russian nuclear reactors is 29.4 GW in December 2020.
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.
Global status of nuclear deployment as of 2017 (source: see file description)
The overnight cost of construction in the seventies was a low 800 $/kW in 2016 dollars.[2] In 2019 a S&P Global Ratings report stated Russia's nuclear construction costs were well below European levels because of vertical integration, good learning-curve effects from serial production, and the large currency devaluation of 2014.[3]
The Russian nuclear industry employs around 200,000 people.[4] Russia is recognized for its nuclear disaster expertise and for the safety of its technology. Statements made in review of Russian reactor safety [8] that "Requirements on placing the nuclear installation should not contain additional restrictions in comparison with other industrial facilities," suggest that nuclear plants could be placed within cities and are not considered to pose exceptional dangers. [5][6][7][8]Russia is also pursuing an ambitious plan to increase sales of Russian-built reactors overseas,[9] and had 39 reactors under construction or planned overseas as of 2018.[10]
The VVER-1200pressurised 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.[11] In August 2016 the first VVER-1200, Novovoronezh II-1, was connected to the grid.[12]
Through its membership in the multi-nation ITER project, Russia participates in the design of nuclear fusion reactors.
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.[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] In 2019 a S&P Global Ratings report stated that "We expect domestic nuclear capacity to increase only moderately because electricity demand in Russia is stagnating, given only modest GDP growth, a significant potential for energy savings, and the government's intention to avoid raising electricity prices through additional increases in capacity payments".[3]
Russia's first-floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov, is equipped to provide power to a remote Russian town on the Bering Strait. The nuclear unit features small modular reactors (SMRs) technology.[16]
Nuclear power plants in Russia (view) Active plants Closed plants Unfinished plants Plants under construction
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".[17]
Control room of a VVER-1000 in 2009, Kozloduy Unit 5
International projects
In addition Atomstroyexport challenging NPP projects list contains:[34]
In August 2022, the Hungarian Nuclear Energy Authority authorized Rosatom to expand the nuclear power plant at Paks with two new VVER reactors with capacity of 1.2 gigawatts each.[36]
Nuclear engineering companies
Atomenergomash: power engineering company; produces steam generators for NPPs
Atommash: by far Russia's largest nuclear engineering company designed to build up to 8 reactors per year.
Atomstroyexport: nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly
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".[37]
^"Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corporation ROSATOM global leader in nuclear technologies nuclear energy". Archived from the original on 31 January 2021.
^USA. (1982). Technology and Soviet energy availability. Boulder (Colo.: Westview press. p. 126.
^ a b"State support pivotal to Russia's nuclear sector, says report". World Nuclear News. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
^"Nuclear rethink urged". The Moscow News. 21 March 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011.
^"Benchmarking the global nuclear industry 2012 Heading for a fast recovery" (PDF). Ernst & Young. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2014.[permanent dead link]
^"Rosatom today and overview of its current and prospective Nuclear Power Plant projects" (PDF). Rosatom. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
^"International Standards of Safety and the Modern Projects of Nuclear Power Stations" (PDF). Rosatom. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
^"Russia's efforts to improve safety following the Chernobyl and the Fukushima accidents" (PDF). IBRAE. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
^[1] Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting
^"Russia leads the world at nuclear-reactor exports". The Economist. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
^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.
^"Russia connects Novovoronezh 6 reactor to grid". World Nuclear News. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
^"Russia invests in nuclear". World Nuclear News. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
^ a b"Russia to build 11 new nuclear reactors by 2030". World Nuclear News. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
^"Rosatom considers delaying reactor commissioning". Nuclear Engineering International. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
^"Rosatom's floating nuclear power unit arrives in Chukotka, Russia". Power Technology | Energy News and Market Analysis. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
^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. Archived from the original on 25 March 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
^"Rosatom State Atomic Energy Cooperation | ROSATOM's first of a kind floating power unit connects to isolated electricity grid in Pevek, Russia's Far East". rosatom.ru. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
^ a b"Nuclear Power in Russia | Russian Nuclear Energy – World Nuclear Association". world-nuclear.org. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
^"Кольскую АЭС-2 начнут строить в 2028 году". Retrieved 9 December 2023.
^"Kursk's second unit retires after 45 years operation". Retrieved 31 January 2024.
^"The construction of the 2nd innovative VVER-TOI power block at the Kursk NPP-2 site has started ahead of schedule". rosenergoatom.ru. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
^"Russia retires Leningrad unit 1". World Nuclear News. World Nuclear Association. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
^"Four New NPP Units Will be Built in Russia".
^"Росатом планирует начать строительство второй очереди ЛАЭС-2 в 2024 году". tass.ru. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
^"Russia commits to further floating NPPs : New Nuclear – World Nuclear News". world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
^""Росатом" и Kaz Minerals предварительно договорились о поставках электроэнергии для Баимского ГОКа". Interfax.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
^"Russia plans new generation of FNPPS – Nuclear Engineering International". 6 January 2021.
^ a b"Заложен корпус первого плавучего энергоблока в арктическом исполнении на базе реакторов РИТМ-200 – Атомэнергомаш". aem-group.ru. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
^"В Якутии собираются строить АЭС мощностью не менее 55 МВт".
^""Росатом" начал строительство реактора Брест-300 в Северске". 8 June 2021.
^"Russia prepares to build new nuclear reactors at Leningrad and Smolensk – Nuclear Engineering International". 26 June 2020.
Closed plants
Plants under construction
