At Rostov NPP (town of Volgodonsk, a branch of Rosenergoatom Concern and a part of the largest Rosatom division – Electric energy), the loading of nuclear fuel into the reactor of the newest power unit No 4 with the VVER-1000 reactor is completed.

During the night of 11 to 12 December 2017, at 23:47 (MSK), the last of the 163 fuel assemblies (FA) was loaded into the reactor core. Thus, the first sub-stage of the 4th power unit physical start-up has been completed. And the assembly of the reactor will begin in the nearest future.

It should be recalled that the physical launch stage of the RoNPP 4th unit has begun on 6 December this year when loading the first fuel assemblies. During this stage the neutron-physical characteristics of the core necessary for operating the reactor are determined. This process marked the beginning of a large phase of work on the preparation of the 4th unit for the power launch and the start of electric energy generation.

“The FA loading is a preparatory stage before the next launching operation – putting the reactor unit to the minimum controllable power (MCP). Then there is still a gradual power ascension, accompanied by a large number of tests and measurements”, the Deputy Chief Engineer for Safety and Reliability of Rostov NPP Vitaliy Makeev said.

After the completion of the 4th unit’s physical launch stage, the decisive stage of start-up operations will begin: it will go through the power start-up and will start supplying energy to consumers. It is  planned for the next year of 2018.

The start-up of the unit No 4 of Rostov NPP will make it possible to sustainably supply energy to the entire southern region of Russia. And moreover, the Rostov Oblast itself will enter the top ten Russian regions leading in energy generation. Now the Plant provides 46% of electric energy produced in the region. Electric power from RoNPP power units, being the basis of the energy security of the entire power system of the Russian South, goes to the Volgograd region, Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais and to Volgodonsk.