Rosenergoatom (part of the largest division of the State Corporation "Rosatom" "Electric Power") received a positive conclusion from the state environmental review of materials justifying the license for the operation of power unit No. 4 of the Rostov NPP in an 18-month fuel cycle at a reactor plant capacity of 104% of the nominal with fan cooling towers.

The expert commission confirmed the compliance of the documentation submitted for consideration with the environmental requirements established by the technical regulations and legislation of the Russian Federation in the sphere of environmental protection. The conclusion was approved by order of the Federal Service for Nature Management.

Previously, the license justification materials were considered at public hearings held in Volgodonsk (Rostov Region, the city where the Rostov NPP is located) on August 4, 2022.

More than 700 people took part in the discussions - designers and specialists in the sphere of operation of the Rostov NPP, representatives of Rosenergoatom, state and independent environmental organizations, local governments, public organizations and residents of the territory where the nuclear power plant is located.

“Energy is the basis for the progressive social and economic development of the country, supplying industry and citizens. The growth in consumption in the interconnected energy system of the South in 2022 compared to 2021 was 2.6%, reaching 111 billion kWh. At the moment, thanks to the Rostov nuclear power plant in the south of Russia, every third light bulb is on. In the Rostov region, according to the results of last year, the share of nuclear generation in the structure of power generation amounted to more than 70%. An increase in the power of the reactor plant does not affect the safety and reliability of the operation of the power unit. The design characteristics of the PWR-1000 type reactors operated at our station make it possible to operate at a power higher than the nominal one - 1000 MW. Power units No. 1,2,3, which in different years were transferred to a capacity of 104%, are proof of this. Power unit No. 1 is the first one of this program on our site, which has been operating in this mode since 2009,” said Andrey Salnikov, director of the Rostov NPP.

The Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources also sent a positive conclusion of the state examination to the Government of the Rostov Region, the administration of the city of Volgodonsk and the Dubovsky District, the Interregional Department of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage for the Rostov Region and the Republic of Kalmykia.

Now power unit No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 of the nuclear power plant operate in the normal mode according to the dispatcher load schedule. Power unit No. 1 of the Rostov NPP has been shut down since March 22 for scheduled preventive maintenance.

The radiation background in the area of the nuclear power plant and in the surrounding area is at a level corresponding to the normal operation of power units, and does not exceed natural background values.

Operational information on the radiation situation next to Russian NPPs and other facilities of the nuclear industry is available on the website www.russianatom.ru.