The approval for the construction activities at the Kursk NPP-2 site has been obtained from the Rosatom Corporation based on the license for the Kursk NPP-2 1st power block construction issued to the Rosenergoatom Concern by the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Atomic Supervision.

“Now, we have started constructing the most up-to-date and technically advanced NPP project based on VVER-TOI* with each block boasting a capacity of 1255 megawatts fully pursuant to the federal, regional, and industrial legal acts and reference documents”, said Nikolay Mitrofanov, the director of the Kursk NPP-2 construction.

The basic Kursk NPP-2 project combines the best practices of the world’s top power blocks in terms of efficiency and security. The VVER-TOI power blocks are extremely competitive, and they will be used as reference ones both in Russia and in other countries.

Viacheslav Fedyukin, the director of the current Kursk NPP, has noted that the amount of investments, which is over 400 billion rubles, speaks volumes about how big this construction project is. The tax liabilities from the Kursk NPP-2 construction are expected to be 280 million rubles annually. According to the estimations, the tax liabilities into the regional and the local budget for the Kursk NPP-2 operations during the next 60 years will e around 200 billion rubles based on current prices.

The Kursk NPP-2** project is one of the prioritized facility for both the Rosenergoatom Concern and the Rosatom Corporation. The amount of investments in 2016 will reach 10 billion rubles (compared to 2.8 billion rubles for the preparatory activities in 2015).

For the Kursk region, the new NPP-2 means amenities development (new bridges, motorways, and other facilities) and employment for thousands of specialists, with around 6000-7000 people being involved in the construction and over 2000 people to be employed at the operations. Highly-qualified workers, linear staff, engineers, and construction workers are forecasted to be in high demand. The Kursk NPP-2 is expected to spur small and medium-sized businesses development, especially in construction, food & drinks, financial services, trade, and transportation.

The import substitution program is being implemented at the Kursk NPP-2 construction site, too. Many Russian manufacturing companies will be involved in the creation of the new main technical elements and joints of the station.

* 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.

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

Kursk NPP  Information and Public Relations Administration.