News
Publish date: June 10, 2005
News
The design lifetime of the unit is 30 years. On July 12, unit no.2 is to be shut down, as it will reach the design lifetimes limit. An upgrade and reconstruction of the unit is necessary to operate the reactor further.
Leningrad NPP launched the reactor upgrade program back in 1989. The main direction of the program is nuclear, technical, radiation, fire and physical safety of the plant. The upgrade works estimated cost is $220m. The Leningrad NPP covers most of the expenses from the own resources. So, unit no.1 was shut down in 2003 as it reached 30-years limit and then after modernisation continued operation in September 2004.
Unit no.3 is being overhauled since February 12 and should be put in operation on July 25. Unit no.4 should be stopped for scheduled 45-days maintenance works on August 6. From June 4 to June 7, the second reactor suffered capacity reduction down to 500 MW due to the turbogenerator repairs.
Leningrad NPP generated 10.502 million kWh this year and takes third place after Balakovo and Kursk NPP. The plant could produce more electricity than needed, however, the electricity low demand limits electricity generation at the plant. The Leningrad NPP operates the oldest reactor units of Chernobyl type RBMK-1000 with 4GW total capacity.
Throughout the past year, our mission at the Bellona Environmental Transparency Center has focused on two key, but intertwined issues—nuclear and radiation safety as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags on, and the worldwide influence of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, which itself is actively involved in the war and has participated in the occupation of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant.
At the beginning of the year, reports in the German and Russian press suggested an approximate 70% increase in uranium imports from Russia to Germany in 2024. But does this reflect broader European trends? It does not. Overall, imports of uranium and nuclear fuel from Russia to Western countries actually dropped sharply in 2024. Unlike the situation in Germany, this is already an established trend.
A Lingen, Germany plant could begin producing nuclear fuel in cooperation with a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, which is directly involved in the war in Ukraine and occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
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.