On October 20, 2016, the Volgodonsk dwellers took part in the discussion of the Preliminary findings on the Rostov NPP’s 2nd power block operation with 104% of its nominal capacity in an 18-months’ fuel cycle and its impact on the environment.

The designers and the operational specialists of the Rostov NPP, the representatives of the Rosenergoatom Concern, the public and the independent environment protection organization, the administration of the city of Volgodonsk, public organizations, and the city dwellers participated in the discussions.

The NPP designers and operational specialists, as well as environment protection and healthcare experts, have submitted their findings and data confirming that the 2nd power block running at 104% of its capacity does not affect the equipment reliability and the environmental safety.

“The design specifications of the VVER-1000 reactors installed at the Rostov NPP enable the unit to exceed its nominal capacity. The 1st power block running at 104% of its capacity for eight years in a row is a great evidence. Our multiple researches focusing on the equipment and the environment monitoring have re-confirmed that the increase in the power block’s capacity does not affect its safety and reliability and that it has no adverse impact on the environment”, Andrey Salnikov, the Rostov NPP director, noted.

During the meeting, the designers and the experts mentioned that the factor of margin allocated for the power block initially turned out to be conservative, that said, the equipment parameters exceed the minimal required ones. Thanks to this margin, it was possible to increase the capacity of the nuclear unit without compromising the security aspects.

According to Igor Shumskiy, the head of the 5th Interregional directorate of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, the increase in the Rostov NPP’s 2nd power block capacity up to 104% will not affect the environment and will not result in any radiation background changes within the 30-kilometer zone around the nuclear power plant. “The research carried out by the Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency and our daily monitoring show that this indicator has not changed ever since the times when the nuclear power plant was designed. For over thirty years this indicator has remained within the natural background values”, Igor Shumskiy stressed.

The power block’s transition to the 18-months’ fuel cycle and the reactor unit’s capacity increase to 104% are facilitated by the increasing need for nuclear power generation in the south of Russia. This region is booming nowadays, and the nuclear power industry is the only one that can cater for its power demand.

Over 560 people took part in the public discussions. The content of the environmental impact assessment specification and the Preliminary findings on the Rostov NPP’s 2nd power block operation with 104% of its nominal capacity in an 18-months’ fuel cycle and its impact on the environment are available for public review for another month. You can submit your suggestions and requests in writing at the organizations providing access to the document and send those to the Customer.

The Rostov NPP is an affiliate company for Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is based at the Tsymlianskoe reservoir shore 13.5 km away from Volgodonsk. The NPP operates VVER-1000 reactors with the installed capacity of 1000 megawatts. The power block No.1 commenced commercial operations in 2001, with the second and the third power blocks to follow in 2010 and on September 17, 2015, respectively. The power block No. 4 is currently under construction.


The up-to-date information on the nuclear environment close to the Russian NOOs and other nuclear objects is available at www.russianatom.ru


The Rostov NPP Information and Public Relations Administration.