On August 26, 2016, the Leningrad NPP delivered its public report on environmental security in 2015 to the Government of the Leningrad Region. The experts have presented their data on environmental impact, radioactive waste handling, the radiation situation control system, and the Leningrad NPP’s nature protection activities.

Vladimir Pereguda, the Leningrad NPP director, said that “despite the nuclear power industry being relatively young, the data about its environmental impact gathered throughout multiple years demonstrate that the industry is entitled to be referred to as secure and having no negative effect on nature”.

The environmental safety specialists reconfirmed the Leningrad NPP’s director statements. For example, the interim head of environmental safety, Valentin Oleynik, told about the impact on the environment and the water facilities, as well as about the ways the station handles production and consumption waste.

The amounts of radioactivity discharge into the atmosphere has been decreased to the meter sensitivity. In 2015, no cases of discharges exceeding the permissible levels were logged. Annual discharges have remained well below the permissible ones: 13.1% of the permissible level for inert radioactive gases, 0.9% for iodine-131, 5.8% for cobalt-60, 2.2% for cesium-134, and 1.4% for cesium-137.


The non-radioactive discharges also tend to get lower. In 2015, the total annual discharge diminished compared to the one in 2014 and got over 4 tons below the permissible level (91.52% of the specified standard).

In 2015 and the previous years, the radiation level in Sosnovy Bor was lower than the average one in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, which is compliant with the natural indicators. Another important fact is that, according to the healthcare specialists, the public exposure initiated by the Sosnovy Bor manufacturing companies using ionizing radiation sources was as low as 0.05% of the specified limit.

The information provided in the report has demonstrated that the Leningrad NPP’s impact on the atmosphere is minimal, while the dangerous chemical substances’ discharge tends to fall. Ironically, water extraction has a positive influence on the environment, because the spill water is often cleaner than the source one.

The public control over the Leningrad NPP’s environment safety protection activities was another important topic for discussion. According to the surveys carried out among the Sosnovy Bor and the Leningrad Region dwellers, the population is now better aware of the nuclear power plant’s operations and is more positive about it. Yury Shevtchuk, an environmental journalist from St. Petersburg, said: “The Leningrad NPP caters for both its own interests and the needs of the Sosnovy Bor and the neighboring territories. The nuclear power plant organizes regular public hearings, sticks to transparent information policy, and welcomes experts during their visits to the facilities”.

The Leningrad NPP is an affiliate company for Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is based in the city of Sosnovy Bor, 40 km to the west from Saint Petersburg at the Gulf of Finland shore. The Leningrad NPP is the first Russian nuclear power plant having RBMK-1000 reactors (uranium-graphite channel-type thermal neutron reactors). The NPP exploits 4 power blocks with the electric capacity of 1000 megawatt each. Also, pursuant to the NPP-2006 project, 1,2 VVER-1200 power blocks included into The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM long-term plan are being constructed. Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC is the owner and developer of the project. Holding TITAN-2 is the primary contractor. ATOMPROEKT is the general designer.


Leningrad  NPP Information and Public Relations Administration.