Russian masterplan released

Russia has released an overall plan for siting power plants up to 2020, including up to 42 new nuclear power reactors.

Kalinin: Stalled construction work on the plant's fourth unit resumed in November 2007 (Image: Rosatom)

The Russian government approved the scheme on 22 February, and made it public today. Implementing and monitoring the plan will be the responsibility of the ministry of industry and energy, the ministry of economic development, and the Rosatom corporation under the control of Sergei Kiriyenko. These bodies are to submit an annual progress report on the execution of the scheme to government.

Within three months, the same groups are to draft an action plan to attract investment in the Russian power industry.

The nuclear portion of the scheme sees one VVER-1000 pressurized water reactor and one RBMK-1000 reactor (Kursk 5) entering operation before 2010. In addition, the world's first floating nuclear power plant - the Akademik Lomonosov - with two 35 MW KLT-40C reactors would be launched.

Currently, construction work is underway to complete Kalinin 4, while foundations are being laid for the first two new reactors at Novovoronezh Phase II, the Akademik Lomonosov is under constuction at the Sevmash shipyard and plans are being finalised for Leningrad Phase II.

The speed of nuclear build accelerates in the period between 2011 and 2015, when one VVER-1000, some eight new VVER-1200 units and one BN-800 fast reactor are planned to start up.

From 2016 to 2020 between 15 and 20 VVER-1200s could be brought online, along with six new-design VBER-300 boiling water reactors. Two more floating plants are slated for completion during this time.

(Source: World Nuclear News)