Extension granted for Smolensk unit 2
Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has issued a five-year licence extension for unit 2 of the Smolensk nuclear power plant, which will see its original 30-year life now extended to 45 years.
The RBMK-1000 light water graphite reactor entered commercial operation in 1985 and currently has permission to operate until 2030. The first Smolensk unit has a licence to operate to 2027 and the third unit until 2034.
Pavel Lubensky, Director of Smolensk NPP, said: "The second power unit has worked for 30 years, as envisaged by the project, and 10 years in an additional period after a large-scale modernisation and obtaining a licence from Rostekhnadzor. Now we have received the right to operate the nuclear installation for another five years, having justified the operability of its irreplaceable elements, which means that there is an opportunity to provide the consumer with about 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and fulfill obligations to produce isotope products for the needs of industry and nuclear medicine."
The project to modernise Smolensk 2 began in 2006 and involved assessment of the condition of all elements and systems and large-scale measures were taken to modernise and replace equipment where necessary. Rosteckhnadzor carried out checks on the measures taken as well as the training and readiness of the workforces to operate the modernised equipment before issuing the licence extensions.
The Smolensk plant covers 75% of electricity supply to the region. According to Russia's energy plan, the Smolensk-II project is to see two VVER-TOI reactors built at a site near the existing nuclear power plant, with a target date of the mid-2030s to replace the existing units' output.
