The scope of building and assembly works at the Kursk NPP-2 construction site will remain the same in 2016, the deputy head of affiliate construction and capital project implementation at OJSC Rosenergoatom Concern, Alexander Barinov, has stated at the 29th control headquarters’ session. “Despite the costs’ and the physical resources’ optimization, the scope of building and assembly works at the Kursk NPP-2 construction site will not be changed”, he said.

Alexander Barinov has also noted that the equipment required within the power blocks’ construction process cycle has been fully approved. In addition to that, to make the most of the budget available, the company has already placed orders for the Kursk NPP-2 equipment production with Russian manufacturers. According to Mr. Barinov, the advance payment for the long-cycle equipment (the reactor vessel, steam generators, the pressure equalizer) in 2016 will be 10.211 billion rubles.

During the session, Nikolay Mitrofanov, the OJSC Rosenergoatom Concern affiliate director for “The Kursk NPP-2 construction management”, has raised the issues to be discussed with the contractors: to make sure everything is in place for common excavation and soil replacement, to provide a list of the agreements executed for construction materials supply and transportation services for 2016. Besides, Mr. Mitrofanov has stressed how important it is to increase the subcontractors’ economic interests.

Pursuant to the nuclear power plants’ construction “road map”, the two power blocks of the Kursk NPP-2 are planned to be launched operational in 2022. A first-level schedule is now being elaborated for the VVER-TOI power block No.1 to include the milestones and the sequence of the construction phases, as well as their costs based on the current prices.
As of now, the Kursk NPP-2 has already submitted all the relevant documents to the Rostechnadzor and awaits a license for the power block No.1 construction. Once Rosatom gives a green light to it, the Kursk NPP-2 construction team will start working.

The preparatory works are on their way at the construction site at the moment, with 280 people being involved in the primary production. The team works on temporary motorways’ construction, development of a railway and a bridge over the Seym river, foundation and the reinforced metal blocks’ workshops carcassing, construction of canteens, and No.4 debalanced soil heap at the Kozhlya settlement.

The Kursk NPP-2 is a replacement station for the currently operating Kursk nuclear power plant’s power blocks taken out of service. Pursuant to The Russian Federation energy land-use planning scheme valid until 2030 and approved by the Government of the Russian Federation in November 2013, the four NPP-2 replacement power blocks operating a new-generation VVER reactor will be located in the Kursk Region. The operational launch of the first two NPP-2 power blocks is planned to be synchronized with the running nuclear power stations’ power blocks taken out of service. The OJSC Concern Rosatom is the building owner and the technical customer for the project. JSC "NIAEP" acts as the general designer and the general contractor.

* VVER-TOI is a typical optimized and computerized two-block NPP project with a VVER-1300 (water-cooled power reactor), a further step in NPP-2006 project development. The goal of this development is to elaborate a typical VVER NPP power block project optimized according to the technical and economic parameters and completed within the contemporary IT environment. VVER-TOI is developed based on the project materials elaborated for the NPP-2006 project and with due account for the experience the industry bodies have accumulated during the latest VVER NPP projects (Novovoronezh NPP-2). The VVER-TOI project takes advantage of the best practices in VVER NPP construction and maintenance activities from all over the world.

Kursk NPP  Information and Public Relations Administration.