Rosenergoatom Joint-Stock Company with the assistance of regional center “Rosatom Middle East and North Africa” (companies of ROSATOM Russian State Nuclear Corporation) has organized a virtual tour to Leningrad NPP (a branch of Rosenergoatom JSC) for leading Egyptian media. Leningrad NPP-2 is the Reference Plant for El-Dabaa NPP, Egypt’s first nuclear power plant which is currently being implemented in the Governorate of Matrouh. The virtual tour took place after coordination between ROSATOM and the Nuclear Power Plants Authority in the framework of their partnership. 

One of the main goals of the event was to demonstrate key features of Russia’s largest nuclear power plant and the technical capabilities of advanced Gen 3+VVER-1200 reactor technology. The same technology will be installed at Egypt’s first nuclear generation project, El Dabaa NPP, “taking into account the Nuclear Power Plants Authority’s technical requirements and the site conditions”, as stated by Dr. Mohammed Dwiddar, the Project Manager of El-Dabaa NPP. 

Leningrad NPP officials Аndrey Alberty, head of information and public relations office, and Ruslan Kotykov, chief specialist, provided the virtual tour participants with information about the operating principles of Leningrad NPP-2, two of its units are based on “3+” Gen VVER-1200 reactor technology, the contribution of the plant to the economy of the region, its social and infrastructural development. In the 360-degree format photo tour different facilities of the units were shown to the media, such as turbine hall, main control room, personnel training center and even reactor hall, where personnel and media representatives entry are prohibited.

«Before coronavirus, more than 4 thousand people a year – Russian and foreign citizens – visited the Leningrad NPP. The restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the development of new formats of communication with a foreign audience. Today specialists of Russian nuclear industry offer a unique opportunity to visit a nuclear power plant and communicate with Russian nuclear experts online, literally from the screen of your personal device. This year, 5 virtual tours to Russian nuclear power plants, including the floating power plant, will be developed. A virtual photo tour of the NPP in the 360 ° format with an imitation of full immersion in the process is the first industry project of this kind, designed, among other things, to inform experts and public about Russian Generation “3+” power units globally», - said Nikita Konstantinov, deputy CEO and Business Development Director of Rosenergoatom. 

Many countries choose VVER-1200 technology for its high safety features, recognized as such by the IAEA. This technology is already being used successfully in four power units in Russia – at Leningrad and Novovoronezh NPPs – and at one power unit in Belarus. Moreover, it is being installed at several NPPs currently under construction in Hungary, Finland, Turkey, Bangladesh, and Belarus. 

The virtual tour also included a visit to Sosnovy Bor, the NPP’s neighbouring town with a local population of 67,000 people. The speakers told the audience about the NPP’s significant contribution to the area’s social and economic development. Many local residents work at the NPP – as Russia’s largest nuclear power plant, the facility created 6,000 direct and 30,000 indirect job opportunities. Surveys show that over 90 percent of the town’s population has a positive attitude to nuclear energy.

 “We want to show our partners that a NPP is not only a safe and clean source of baseload power generation but also an economic driver for the region. It creates jobs and educational opportunities, promotes research and technological and infrastructural development, and carries multiple economic benefits”, – said Аndrey Alberty, head of Information and public relations office at Leningrad NPP.

The event ended with a Q&A during which journalists got detailed answers and comments about Leningrad NPP and VVER-1200 technology.