News
Publish date: February 20, 1998
Written by: Igor Kudrik
News
According to the statement released by Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the incident occurred at 01:44 Moscow time on February 20 (10:44 G.M.T., February 19). The first reactor unit shut down as the protection system of the second turbine generator was activated automatically. The reason to the incident were flaws in the energy supply to the reactor installation.
Kursk NPP is operating four RBMK-1000 reactors. The two oldest reactors are to be taken out of operation by 2006 and 2008. The fifth unit of RBMK-type reactor is under construction, some 70% of completion.
On January 14 this year, reactor unit no.2 of Kursk NPP shut down automatically due to the leaks in the compressed air system. Similar incident on the reactor unit no.2 occurred in the beginning of September 1997.
The first reactor unit of Kursk NPP has undergone safety upgrade, the upgrade works on the second unit are still underway.
The completion of the fifth RBMK reactor unit at Kursk is a matter of time. Rosenergoatom Concern stated this year that the investment emphasis in 1998 will rest on Kursk and Rostov NPPs.
Recent attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war," the UN atomic agency's director general said last week.
After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.
In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our main focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution risks and climate change.