First concrete was laid in the foundation of the reactor building of Unit 7 with a VVER-1200 reactor at the construction site of new power units of Leningrad NPP (a branch of Rosenergoatom, Electric Power Division of Rosatom). This historic event marks the beginning of the main phase of construction of new power units which will provide the country with clean energy for at least 60 years.
Speaking about the prospects for the development of the domestic nuclear industry, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted: “By 2045, the share of nuclear generation in Russia’s overall energy balance will be increased to 25%. The construction of a new efficient power unit at Leningrad NPP will be a good contribution to this work. Its launch will improve the energy security of the entire North-West region of Russia and will provide consumers with more environmentally friendly, clean electricity for years to come.”
Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has been reliably providing the region with affordable and safe electricity for more than half a century: now its share in the power balance of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region is 55%, in the power balance of the entire Northwestern Federal District, 28.5%. Commenting on the significant event, Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of Leningrad region, noted: “Thanks to the operation of the nuclear power plant and its contribution to the consolidated budget of the Leningrad region, thousands of industrial enterprises and social facilities are operating, houses, bridges, roads are being built, large regional investment projects are being implemented, jobs are being created, significant funds are allocated for healthcare, education, and social support of the public. Leningrad NPP Units 7 and 8, which will replace Units 3 and 4, will allow maintaining electricity production for the needs of the region, guaranteeing not only the energy stability of Leningrad region, but also its confident movement forward.”
According to Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, starting the construction of Leningrad NPP Unit 7, Rosatom is embarking on a new stage in fulfilling the President’s task of increasing the share of nuclear energy in the energy balance to 25% by 2045. “We are now building two units of the second phase of Kursk NPP. They are already at a high level of readiness – this year we will reach the first criticality stage of the 1st unit. In addition to Leningrad NPP, replacement units will also be built at Smolensk and Kola nuclear power plants. The further development of nuclear generation in Russia involves venturing into new sites. We will significantly increase nuclear generation in Ural and expand to Siberia and the Far East, where the largest increase in consumption is predicted,” said the head of Rosatom.
Work on concreting the foundation of the reactor building of Leningrad NPP Unit 7, the quality of which determines the strength and durability of the building, the integrity of its structures, as well as the reliability of the further operation of the reactor systems and equipment, will be underway 24/7. In order to concrete a slab of 2,100 square meters, builders will need almost 5.5 thousand cubic meters of concrete mixture.
The Leningrad NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Russia in terms of installed capacity of 4,400 MW. 4 RBMK-1000 units and 2 PWR-1200 units are operated here. Units 1 and 2 of the RBMK-1000 have been shut down for decommissioning after 45 years of service. They were replaced by two PWR-1200 units in 2018 and 2021. The design service life is 60 years with the possibility of extension for another 20 years. Two more new power units No. 7 and No. 8 VVER-1200 of the Leningrad NPP are planned to be commissioned in 2030 and 2032, respectively. They will become the replacement capacities of power unit No. 3 and No. 4 of RBMK-1000.
The annual production of each PWR-1200 power unit will be more than 8.5 billion kWh of electricity. This will make it possible not only to guarantee the provision of light and heat to the residents of the region but also to successfully continue the implementation of large regional investment projects. Also, the new phase of the nuclear power plant is guaranteed to provide jobs for almost two thousand people.
The general contractor for the construction of power units No. 7 and No. 8 of the Leningrad NPP is JSC TITAN-2.