The Kola NPP has completed an important stage in the 2nd power block’s upgrade – the team has completed the construction of the additional safety system strictly on time.

This facility is a building housing four accumulators filled with boric acid water solution. Each accumulator is a steel-armored vessel with a volume of 60 cubic meters and a weight of over 60 tons.

‘This safety system is designed to cool the reactor’s core in case of an emergency. The way it works is that, when the pressure at the primary circuit falls below a particular threshold, borated water is automatically delivered to the reactor, which caters for timely cooling of the reactor core and cessation of the nuclear chain reaction’, Vladimir Matveev, the chief engineer of the Kola NPP, explained.

He also stated that the new safety system boasts increased reliability, can function without any staff or using any external power sources and, combined with other activities related to the 2nd power block’s upgrade, will substantially advance its security parameters.

As of today, the installation of the engineering and electrotechnical systems has been completed, and pre-commissioning activities are now in progress. The landscaping and site finishing work is nearing completion.

It is important that the 2nd power block has been under scheduled middle maintenance since 2019, which is aimed at upgrading the facility and expanding its life until 2034. The maintenance campaign is due to be completed in October 2019.

The additional safety system of the Kola NPP’s 2nd power block is due to be launched operational by the end of this year. Previously, similar accumulators were manufactured for the 1st power block as a part of its upgrade and life extension plan.

Currently, the Kola NPP accounts for over 50% of the electric power produced in the Kola energy system and addresses the power demand from the majority of large manufacturing companies in the Murmansk Region. The life extension of its power blocks both guarantees the stable power supply for the residents of the Kola Bay Arctic Circle and manufacturing companies operating in this area and opens up new opportunities for industrial projects initiation and implementation.