By 13:00 local time on 30 January the unit was operating at a load of 408 MW, which is about 40% capacity for the VVER-TOI reactor. Pilot operation began the previous day, for the unit which was connected to the grid on 31 December.
Prior to the start of pilot operation a series of tests were carried out before Russia’s nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor gave approval for the go-ahead.
At each stage of the commissioning process, as the power is gradually increased, tests and checks take place before moving on to the next level, with the regulator overseeing all stages to confirm it complies with all safety standards.
Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom Director General, said: “Pilot operation is a crucial stage, confirming the design conformity of the power unit’s systems and equipment under various operating conditions. This is a significant achievement for the entire Kursk NPP-2 team and Rosenergoatom, whose daily efforts are bringing the power unit closer to commercial operation.”
The plan is for the power unit to enter commercial operation during 2026.
Background
Kursk II is a new nuclear power plant in western Russia, about 60 kilometres (37.5 miles) from the Ukraine border, that will feature four VVER-TOI reactors, the latest version of Russia’s large light-water designs. They have upgraded pressure vessels and a power rating of 1,250 MW. Construction of the first unit began in 2018, its polar crane was installed in October 2021 and the reactor vessel was put in place in June 2022. Concreting of the outer dome of the first unit was completed in August 2023. The second unit is also under construction and the target is for all four units to be in operation by 2034.
Rosatom says the service life of the main equipment has doubled, and that the VVER-TOI units feature a mix of passive and active safety systems and include a core meltdown localiser. The new units at Kursk II will replace the four units at the existing, nearby Kursk nuclear power plant, which are scheduled to shut by 2031. The first unit was shut down after 45 years of operation in December 2021 and the second unit followed in January 2024. The original design life for the four RBMK-1000 reactors at the plant was for 30 years but had been extended by 15 years following life extension programmes.
