Novovoronezh II
A new record was set by construction workers at the second unit of Novovoronezh II as they completed welding on the main circulation circuit in just 72 days. “This means that one of the most complicated operations in nuclear construction has become a routine practice,” stressed Vitaly Polianin, Vice President for Thermal Energy at Rosatom’s subsidiary NIAEP (the project’s general contractor). “The welding procedure for the main circulation circuit at Novovoronezh II Unit 2 had been developed end to end by engineers of Rosatom Group company EnergoSpetsMontazh. Thorough preparation and excellent work have greatly reduced our time input.”
For reference: Unit 1 of Novovoronezh II, the world’s first Generation 3+ nuclear unit, came online in August and is operating in a pilot mode.
Rostov NPP
A containment pre-stressing system is being mounted at Rostov Unit 4. This is one of the most important operations done prior to containment pressure and air tightness tests. So far nearly 60% of pre-stressing cables has been installed in the containment.
The air-tight reactor containment is made of pre-stressed reinforced concrete lined with steel plates from inside and is strong enough to withstand extreme conditions, such as earthquakes up to magnitude 7, tornadoes, hurricanes and air shock waves.
Simultaneously, the construction workers started applying a special coating to the main building of Rostov Unit 4. Its task is to protect the power unit from weather impacts and prevent corrosion.
Other activities now running at Unit 4 include connection and adjustment of the installed equipment, particularly the fuel loader, and hydraulic tests of the cooling pond. The unit is scheduled for commissioning next year.
Leningrad NPP
The Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has begun hydraulic tests on the collection basin at cooling tower 1 erected for Unit 1, now under construction. “The tests are designed to check water tightness of the basin. A properly assembled and installed collection basin will ensure seamless and reliable operation of the cooling tower,” explains Viktor Afonichev, head of support systems at Leningrad NPP.
A cooling tower is an important element of the nuclear station infrastructure. Its function is to cool water in recirculation systems of the nuclear station. Water heated in the steam condenser is pumped into the cooling tower and sprayed to trickle downwards and cool down.
In addition, a reactor power control system was installed in September at Leningrad Unit 1.
Kursk II
The construction of Kursk II (designed to replace the existing Kursk nuclear station) is gaining momentum. In September, the number of workers on the construction site exceeded 800 and will be growing in the coming months. “We plan to increase the input from subcontractors and our subsidiary companies,” said Sergei Olontsev, Senior Vice President for Russian Projects at Rosatom’s engineering company NIAEP, the project’s general contractor.
He also added that a sand gravel ground bed was prepared to lay a foundation for the first unit of Kursk II.
