Russia could offer India World’s Most Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology for proposed 2nd plant

Nuclear power generation may no longer be an attractive proposition in certain pioneering countries in the sector primarily owing to bankruptcy issues. But Russia continues to invest in this form of energy both in domestic and international markets and now possesses world’s most advanced (Generation 3 plus) reactor in Novovoronezh, about 600 kms from Moscow.

The technology in Novovoronezh is being offered to Bangladesh for its maiden nuclear power plant and could be offered to India for the second Russian built six set of reactors. The generation III+ reactor at the sixth unit of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant (NVNPP) is the world’s first to be built using “post-Fukushima” safety standards and has an automated system in case of an emergency, officials of Rosatom, Russia’s apex nuclear body told ET.

Novovoronezh is one of the oldest nuclear power plants in Russia and is located in the Voronezh Oblast, Central Russia. It is Russia’s first nuclear power plant with Water-Water Energetic Reactors (VVER). The first reactor was commissioned in 1964. At the moment, there are three operating units at the power station. Construction work is underway for a seventh reactor which is expected to be commissioned in 2018. NNPP unit 6, 28 miles south of the city of Voronezh, began delivering electricity to the Russia’s energy system last August.

The “main feature” of the technology in NVNPP Generation 3 plus reactor is the use of additional passive safety systems that do not require the intervention of nuclear power plant personnel, it added. “Unique and globally unparalleled systems have been applied, including passive heat removal from the reactor, hydrogen recombiners and a core catcher,” Rosatom officials explained.

ROSATOM is the world’s largest supplier of nuclear power plants in the global market. “We have made our position stronger with NPPP Generation three plus reactor. This opens new opportunities for building up our presence in the global market,” claimed another senior Rosatom official.

“In comparison with traditional power units with VVER-1000 reactor, the NPP-2006 project, upon which the first power unit of NVNPP-2 is constructed, has a number of advantages that substantially increase its economic characteristics and safety. Thus, the electric capacity of the reactor unit has been increased by 20% from 1000 to 1200 MW; main equipment (reactor and steam-generators vessels) lifespan has been doubled from 30 to 60 years; due to high-level automation and implementation of new technological concepts the number of personnel is reduced by 25-30%. A number of up-to-date and unique safety systems has been applied, such as corium trap or passive heat removal system that in the absence of electric power supply and human participation allows to cool the reactor core by means of air natural circulation,” according to a Rosatom statement.

Presently 3+ generation nuclear power units are being constructed in the USA and France; however, it is the Russian power unit No 1 of NVNPP-2 that became the first new generation nuclear power unit in the world put into industrial operation.

(Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com)

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