Bellona nuclear digest. July 2024
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
News
Kursk NPP reactor shuts down
Publish date: January 22, 1998
Written by: Igor Kudrik
Shortcuts on this page
News
Kursk NPP reactor shuts down
A nuclear reactor at Kursk nuclear power plant in the central Russia was shut down on Wednesday last week. Nobody was hurt and there was no radiation leak, officials said the next day, reported AP.
The reactor no.2 at Kursk nuclear power plant, 450 km south of Moscow, was shut down automatically on January 14 because of leaks in the compressed air system, the Emergency Situations Ministry reported.
This is the reactor’s second shut down in the past six months. Similar incident occurred in the beginning of September 1997.
Kursk NPP is operating four RBMK-1000 reactors, commissioned in 1976, 1978, 1983 and 1985. The two oldest reactors are to be shut down by 2006 and 2008. The fifth unit with RBMK- type reactor is under construction, some 70% of completion.
Despite of the strong safety critics of RBMK-type (Chernobyl type) reactors, the Atomic Minister of Russia Victor Michailov claimed at his press-conference on June 23 that the fifth unit of Kursk NPP is to be completed within few years. Minister’s intentions were confirmed by Rosenergoatom concern, which has recently stated that the investment emphasis in 1998 will rest on the Rostov and Kursk Nuclear Power Plants.
More News
All news
Bellona urges Norway’s Prime Minister to not support Northern Sea Route development
Transport on the Northern Sea Route is not sustainable, and Kirkenes must not become a potential hub for transport along the Siberian coast. Bellona believes this is an important message Norway should deliver in connection with the Prime Minister's visit to China. In an open letter to Jonas Gahr Støre, Bellona asks the Prime Minister to make it clear that the Chinese must stop shipping traffic through the Northeast Passage.
IAEA issues report on war-ravaged Ukrainian nuclear plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency has published a new report on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, with the agency’s director-general warning that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station remains “precarious and very fragile.”
Monthly Highlights from the Russian Arctic, July 2024
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.