On 29 April, 2018 at the construction site of Kursk NPP-2 the first cubic meters of concrete were poured in the bed plate of the power unit No 1 reactor building. Thus, the main construction works have started, and the construction of Russian most powerful power unit of 3+ generation with electric power of 1,255 MW has begun.
The power units No 1 and No 2 of Kursk NPP-2 of 3+ generation are the pilot units that are being constructed upon the VVER-TOI project (Water-Water Energy Reactor Universal Optimized Digital). This is the new project created by the Russian designers (ASE Group of Companies, the Engineering Division of ROSATOM) on the basis of the technical decisions of NPP with VVER-1200 reactor project.
The nuclear power plants of 3+ generation have improved technical and economical indicators. Thus, in comparison with the power units of the previous generation (VVER-1000) the unit’s power increased by 25%, up to 1,255 MW. Owing to the high level of automation the number of personnel is reduced by 30-40%. In comparison with other power units of 3+ generation (power units No 1 and No 2 of Novovoronezh NPP (No 2 is being constructed) and No 1 and No 2 of Leningrad NPP (No 1 is at the power testing stage, and No 2 is being constructed) it is intended that the VVER-TOI project will have the reduced construction value, terms, and operations costs.
 New power units of Kursk NPP-2 meet all the modern requirements of the IAEA in the field of safety. A number of the up-to-date safety systems were applied: the reactor core melt trap and the heat removal passive system that allows to cool the reactor core in the absence of the power supply at the expense of the natural air circulation. As compared to the already constructed power units of 3+ generation in the VVER-TOI project a number of the additional safety precautions were implemented. Thus, the power unit is expected to stand the earthquake of magnitude 8-9 as to magnitude 7 in the NPP with VVER-1200 reactor project. 
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Previous to the concreting of the nuclear island the great amount of works was done. In order to achieve the soil characteristics set by the norms and specifications and project documentation the formation of the artificial bedding for the power unit No 1 reactor building was carried out. In total, more than 16 thousand cubic meters of self-consolidating concrete mix will be poured in the bed plate. The concrete pouring will be carried out 24/7 without stops with the constant mixture quality control. The concrete pouring is to be completed this June.
The Deputy Director General of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC, the Manager of Kursk NPP Branch Vyacheslav Fegyukin: “VVER-TOI power units are the most advance products in the area of the high nuclear technologies. Not only the future of Kursk NPP, but also the future of Russian nuclear power industry in general is connected with them. These power units must become the benchmark and one of the series for the construction in the international projects. Kursk NPP-2 is one of the priority projects for Rosenergoatom and the industry in general. One can assess the scale of the construction by the amount of investment: in 2018 more than 27 billion rubles will be spent at the Kursk NPP-2 construction; this is 10 billion more than in 2017.”The Vice President on the projects in Russia – the Head of ASE EC JSC Aleksey Deriy: “The appliance of MultiD technology allows to improve the terms – cost – quality parameters during the construction, as well as creates the information model of the power unit and provides the further information support and use. The engineering data control system allows accumulating the collected information on the project and using at all stages of the NPP life cycle: from the designing to the decommissioning.”
For reference:
VVER-TOI power units can safely be operated at the sites with the wide range of the natural climatic conditions from the tropics to Northern regions, for a wide spectrum of internal extreme and external man-caused conditions peculiar to all potential construction sites. Kursk NPP-2 is the replacement plant of the decommissioning power units of Kursk NPP. It is planned to commission the first two power units of NPP-2 with the new type of VVER-TOI reactor at the same time with decommissioning of power unit No 1 and No 2 of the operating NPP. The Developer - the Technical Requestor of the NPP - is Rosenergoatom. ASE Group of Companies is the General Contractor and General Designer.
 

 

Source: The Information and Public Relations Department of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC