The General Board of State Expert Review of Russia issued a positive opinion on the design documentation and the results of engineering surveys for power units No. 7 and 8 of the Leningrad NPP. The study and assessment of the compliance of future nuclear facilities with state standards, approved building codes and rules was performed in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

This is one of the key documents that precede the construction of the second stage of the PWR-1200 LNPP. Taking into account this document, Rosenergoatom decided to approve the design documentation for the construction of power units No. 7 and 8.

According to the project, two power units with a capacity of 1198.8 MW each will be built in the industrial zone of Sosnovy Bor, the Leningrad Region. The new stage of the nuclear power plant will include 123 buildings and structures and will provide jobs for almost two thousand people.

“Experts recognized the compliance of the design documentation and the results of engineering surveys of two new Leningrad power units with the requirements of technical regulations in the sphere of nuclear, industrial and environmental safety, sanitary and epidemiological requirements, etc. This means that during their construction and operation, the negative impact on people and the environment will be completely ruled out, the new units will operate reliably and safely throughout their entire service life,” explained Evgeny Milushkin, deputy director for capital construction - head of the capital construction department of the Leningrad NPP-2.

Power units No. 7 and 8 will be built to replace the RBMK-1000 units of the Leningrad NPP. The new units will not only save the required amount of electricity for the needs of the North-West, but also increase it by 20%. Every year, each new block will transfer almost 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to the country's energy system. Over 50 years of design operation, the two power units will generate a total of more than 850 billion kWh of electricity. This will not only guarantee the supply of light and heat to the inhabitants of the region, but also successfully continue the implementation of major regional investment projects.

In accordance with the roadmap, power units No. 7 and 8 of the Leningrad NPP are planned to be put into commercial operation in 2030 and 2032. Preparatory work is currently underway at the site of the future blocks. The main construction period will begin in early 2024, once construction licenses have been obtained.

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Today, Russia continues to provide stable energy security. Energy is the basis for the progressive social and economic development of the country, the supply of industry and citizens. The domestic fuel and energy complex works to increase the competitiveness of the national economy, contributes to the development and improvement of the country's regions, cities, towns, to improve the quality of life of citizens. The share of low-carbon power generation in the Russian energy sector is already about 40%. In the future, taking into account the growth in the share of nuclear generation, it will only grow.

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 output of each PWR-1200 power unit will be more than 8.5 billion kWh of electricity.