In Desnogorsk discussed the main period of construction of power units of the Smolensk NPP-2

At the site of construction of the Smolensk NPP-2, a regular meeting of the operational headquarters was held under the chairmanship of the station director Ivan Sidorov. The key topic of the meeting of representatives of the Electric Power and Engineering Divisions of Rosatom State Corporation with the general contractor of CONCERN TITAN-2 JSC was the synchronization of work at the construction and installation base and preparation for pouring the first concrete into the base of the reactor building No. 1, scheduled for 2027. The general designer of the object is JSC Atomenergoproekt.

The Smolensk NPP-2 project is based on successful operating experience of Novovoronezh and Leningrad NPP-2, and the best technological solutions of VVER-TOI of Kursk NPP-2 are integrated, fully complying with modern Russian and international requirements. Two VVER-optim power units will be equipped with a four-channel safety system, which ensures that a hypothetical failure of one channel will not affect the performance of the others. In addition, the passive heat removal system implemented in the project is able to function without the participation of humans and external energy sources solely due to natural physical processes.

The new generating capacities are designed to meet the most extreme challenges, including reliable seismic protection up to 7 points on the MSK-64 scale, which ensures that all systems remain operational in case of possible earthquakes with a large margin of safety. The design is also protected from extreme weather events with an estimated wind speed of up to 45.4 m / s, withstands a fall of an aircraft weighing 5 tons at a speed of 100 meters per second and a shock wave with a pressure in the front of 10 kilopascals.

Ivan Sidorov, Director of the Smolensk NPP, stressed that this site can be called strategic, since it will be the site where the solutions of an optimized project with generation 3+ reactors will be worked out and recorded, the key feature of which is the combination of high efficiency and a fundamentally new level of safety. He also noted that the global significance of the project lies in its role as the flagship of the new wave of nuclear construction, which will become the basis for mass production of high-capacity nuclear power plants in Russia and abroad, which once again confirms the technological leadership of the state corporation.

Governor of the Smolensk region Vasily Anokhin previously called this project a driver of economic and technological development of the region. According to him, the construction will attract investments in the amount of more than 750 billion rubles, ensure the growth of tax revenues for the development of social infrastructure and create volume orders for related industries, such as engineering, service and transport. The head of the region also added that the project forms the personnel base of the new formation, for which it will be necessary to attract up to 10 thousand specialists at the peak of construction, and after commissioning - about 2 thousand employees, noting the opening of a new direction "Nuclear energy and thermal physics" in the Smolensk branch of the MPEI with the support of Rosatom.

Currently, the general contractor of JSC CONCERN TITAN-2 and its subcontractors are actively forming the infrastructure for new power units, erecting a construction and installation base, which in the future will include about 124 objects, from a concrete mixing unit and valve shop to administrative and household complexes and engineering networks. Igor Koshin, director of the Smolensk NPP construction program, said that the meeting worked out in detail the schedules for the supply of equipment for the transformer substation, the installation of which will begin in December, and also discussed the contraction of priority equipment, including the turbogenerator plant and the reactor housing. He also emphasized the importance of developing an integrated approach to pricing together with Rosenergoatom to maintain a balance of interests and prevent disruptions to construction schedules.

The priority issue on the agenda was labor protection and industrial safety. Staff management stressed that no stage of work should be to the detriment of staff safety, in connection with which additional control measures are introduced, including unscheduled briefings before the winter period and increased outreach to subcontractors. Earlier, the SNPP-2 project has already received a positive opinion of the state environmental expertise, confirming its compliance with strict environmental requirements. Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev described the implementation of the roadmap for the construction of nuclear power plants as a strategic choice in favor of low-carbon generation, stressing that nuclear energy is becoming the basis of the “green” energy transition.

Thus, the Smolensk NPP-2 will not only ensure the long-term energy security of Central Russia, but also serve as a benchmark for replicating advanced nuclear technologies at other sites in the country and abroad. An integrated approach to construction, including the highest safety standards, the development of human resources and strict environmental control, reliably consolidates the leadership of the domestic nuclear industry at the global level. The successful implementation of this project is expected to be a powerful impetus for sustainable socio-economic development of the entire region for decades to come.