Another VVER-1200 Nuclear Power Unit considered to be referential for Bangladesh’s under construction Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant starts commercial operation in Russia 30 days ahead of schedule.
Second unit of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II, hosting generation III+ Russian VVER-1200 reactor,was put into commercial operation yesterday, November 1, after receiving green light from Russia’s regulatory authority -Rostechnadzor. First VVER 1200 unit at the same NPP was launched in 2016, and a similar unit at Leningrad-II NPP in 2017.
“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 organization, procurement, supply, and finance, and we are continuously enhancing our effectiveness. This is crucial in meeting modern market requirements and facing the large-scale challenges in constructing nuclear power plants.”
The newly launched unit is the 36th in Russia which takes the share of nuclear power to 27%, in Central Russia’s electricity grid, preventing greenhouse gas emissions by four million tonnes on an average per year.
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 produces 20% more power, requires 30 to 40% less manpower to operate, and has double lifetime of 60 years, with the provision of extending by another 20 years.
Finland, Hungary, China, Bangladesh and Belarus among others have chosen this latest and the safest VVER-1200 reactor technology. Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom is assisting these countries in implementing the projects. It may be mentioned here that Rosatom’s overall foreign orders portfolio currently comprises of 36 VVER units at different stages of implementation across 12 markets worldwide.
The first ever NPP for Bangladesh is being constructed with Russia’s technical and financial assistance at Rooppur village of Pabna district. There will be two VVER 1200 units, the first is expected to be commissioned in 2023 and the second in the following year.
