On April 11, 2019, following the approval from the Rostekhnadzor (the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision), the power startup stage has begin for the innovative 3+ generation VVER-1200 power block No. 2 at the Novovoronezh NPP-2 (an affiliate of the Rosenergoatom Joint-Stock Company, a part of the Electric Power Division of Rosatom, the General Designer – AO ‘Atomenergoproject’, the General Contractor – ‘Atomstroyexport, the engineering division of Rosatom). 

According to Vladimir Povarov, the director of the Novovoronezh NPP, the approval from Rostekhnadzor means that all activities scheduled for the physical launch stage have been fully completed. ‘The actual values of the reactor’s active zone neutronic parameters correspond to the designed ones, so we can move to the next stage, which is the power startup’, he noted. 

The power startup phase stipulates a set of activities aimed at gradual increase of the reactor’s capacity from 1% up to 35-40% in multiple stages. This capacity level makes it possible to connect the turbine generator to the grid and start producing electric power, which is planned for May. 

This will be followed by a long-running phase of gradual low-power testing in stages from 40% up to the full 100%. The 2nd power block of the Novovoronezh NPP-2 (power block No.7 of the Novovoronezh NPP) is scheduled for operational launch till the end of 2019. Afterwards, the Novovoronezh NPP will contribute over 1 billion rubles into the regional budget in 2020 as the property tax. 

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The innovative 3+ generation power blocks boast improved technical and economic parameters that also facilitate full operational safety. They make use of the top-notch technology achievements and developments. The main point of the VVer-1200 reactor power blocks is the unique combination of active and passive safety systems that make the NPPs as highly reliable to both internal and external load. What is typical for the passive system is that they can work even when the energy supply is off and without an operator. The VVER-1200 reactor power blocks use: a ‘melt trap’ – a device that localizes the nuclear reactor’s core meltdown; an afterheat removal passive system designed to remove heat from the reactor’s active zone into the atmosphere for a long time if all energy supply sources are off; etc. 

Countries like Finland, Hungary, Bangladesh, Belarus and others have opted for this technology. The international portfolio of Rosatom encompasses 36 VVER blocks in 12 countries.