15.07.2019  The Kursk NPP Information and Public Relations Department

The concreting of the 1st power block’s containment pre-tensioning system tendon gallery flooring has been completed at the Kursk NPP-2 construction site

The works on concreting the reactor building’s containment pre-tensioning system tendon gallery flooring were delivered in stages, with the total of 3.2 thousand cubic meters of monolithic self-consolidating concrete being placed. The quality of the concreting mixture was being controlled throughout the whole process.

According to Alexey Volnov, the chief engineer at the Kursk NPP-2, the pre-tensioning system was designed with a view maintaining an effective physical safety barrier that eliminates any harmful impact on the environment during the whole process of operating the NPP without having to uplift or to replace the cords.

The containment is an essential constructive element of the VVER-TOI power blocks that caters for nuclear and environmental safety. When completed, this will be a cylinder-shaped reinforced concrete structure with a hemispheric dome, which will house a nuclear reactor and the primary circuit NPP equipment. In case of an emergency at the NPP, the containment will prevent radioactive materials from being discharged into the environment.

The Kursk NPP-2 is a replacement power plant encompassing 2 blocks with the capacity of 1255 megawatt each. The plant is constructed following the VVER-TOI project (general designer – AO Atomenergoproyekt (a part of the ASE Group), general contractor – ASE Group). The Kursk NPP-2 replacement power blocks No.1 and No.2 are being constructed based on the cutting-edge VVER-TOI (Water-Water Energy Reactor Universal Optimized Digital) project. This is a new design created by Russian specialists based on the VVER-1200 NPP technical solutions. These 3+ generation power blocks possess improved technical and economic parameters: compared to the previous-generation power blocks (VVER-1000), the capacity of each has been increased by 25%, up to 1255 megawatt. The major equipment’s life span has doubled. Compared to other power blocks, the VVER-TOI projects stipulate considerable reduction of construction and operational costs as well as the time lines. This design also combines passive and active safety systems. In particular, VVER-TOI includes a core melt localization device as one of the means of controlling accidents outside of the design. This is a unique Russian safety technology that guarantees safety management.


Back to the list