The most powerful reactor in the world. Nuclear power plants in infographics

On the left bank of the Saratov reservoir. It consists of four VVER-1000 units put into operation in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1993.

Balakovo NPP is one of the four largest nuclear power plants in Russia, with the same capacity of 4000 MW. It generates more than 30 billion kWh of electricity annually. If the second stage, the construction of which was mothballed in the 1990s, was put into operation, the station could be equal to the most powerful Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Europe.

Balakovo NPP operates in the base part of the load schedule of the United Energy System of the Middle Volga.

Beloyarsk NPP

Four power units were built at the station: two with thermal neutron reactors and two with a fast neutron reactor. Currently operating power units are the 3rd and 4th power units with BN-600 and BN-800 reactors with an electric power of 600 MW and 880 MW, respectively. BN-600 put into operation in April - the world's first power unit industrial scale with a fast neutron reactor. BN-800 delivered to commercial operation in November 2016. It is also the world's largest fast reactor power unit.

The first two power units with AMB-100 and AMB-200 water-graphite channel reactors operated in - and -1989 and were stopped due to resource depletion. The fuel from the reactors has been unloaded and is in long-term storage in special spent fuel pools located in the same building with the reactors. All technological systems, whose operation is not required by safety conditions, are stopped. Only ventilation systems are in operation to maintain the temperature regime in the premises and the radiation control system, the operation of which is provided around the clock by qualified personnel.

Bilibino NPP

Located near the city of Bilibino, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. It consists of four EGP-6 units with a capacity of 12 MW each, put into operation in 1974 (two units), 1975 and 1976.

Generates electrical and thermal energy.

Kalinin NPP

Kalinin NPP is one of the four largest nuclear power plants in Russia, with the same capacity of 4000 MW. It is located in the north of the Tver region, on the southern shore of Lake Udomlya and near the city of the same name.

It consists of four power units, with reactors of the VVER-1000 type, with an electric power of 1000 MW, which were put into operation in,, and 2011.

Kola NPP

It is located near the city of Polyarnye Zori, Murmansk region, on the shore of Lake Imandra. It consists of four VVER-440 units put into operation in 1973, 1974, 1981 and 1984.

The power of the station is 1760 MW.

Kursk NPP

Kursk NPP is one of the four largest nuclear power plants in Russia, with the same capacity of 4000 MW. Located near the city of Kurchatov, Kursk region, on the banks of the river Seim. It consists of four blocks RBMK-1000, put into operation in 1976, 1979, 1983 and 1985.

The power of the station is 4000 MW.

Leningrad NPP

Leningrad NPP is one of the four largest nuclear power plants in Russia, with the same capacity of 4000 MW. It is located near the town of Sosnovy Bor in the Leningrad Region, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. It consists of four blocks RBMK-1000, put into operation in 1973, 1975, 1979 and 1981.

Novovoronezh NPP

In 2008, the nuclear power plant produced 8.12 billion kWh of electricity. Installed capacity utilization factor (KIUM) was 92.45%. Since its launch, () has generated over 60 billion kWh of electricity.

Smolensk NPP

Located near the city of Desnogorsk, Smolensk region. The station consists of three power units, with RBMK-1000 type reactors, which were put into operation in 1982, 1985 and 1990. Each power unit includes: one reactor with a thermal power of 3200 MW and two turbogenerators with an electric power of 500 MW each.

Where in Russia have nuclear power plants been mothballed?

Baltic NPP

A nuclear power plant consisting of two power units with a total capacity of 2.3 GW has been built since 2010 in the Kaliningrad region, the energy security of which it was designed to ensure. The first object of Rosatom, which was planned to admit foreign investors - energy companies interested in buying surplus energy generated by nuclear power plants. The cost of the infrastructure project was estimated at 225 billion rubles.Construction was frozen in 2014 due to possible difficulties with the sale of electricity abroad after the aggravation of the foreign political situation.

In the future, it is possible to complete the construction of nuclear power plants, including those with less powerful reactors.

Unfinished nuclear power plants, the construction of which is not planned to be resumed

All these nuclear power plants were mothballed in the 1980s - 1990s. in connection with the accident Chernobyl nuclear power plant, economic crisis, the subsequent collapse of the USSR and the fact that they ended up on the territory of newly formed states that could not afford such construction. Some of the construction sites of these plants in Russia may be involved in the construction of new nuclear power plants after 2020. These nuclear power plants include:

• Bashkir NPP
• Crimean NPP
• Tatar NPP
• Chigirinskaya NPP (GRES) (remained in Ukraine)

Also at the same time for safety reasons under pressure public opinion the construction of nuclear heating plants and nuclear thermal power plants, which were in a high degree of readiness, designed to supply hot water to large cities, was canceled:

• Voronezh AST
• Gorky AST
• Minsk ATES (remained in Belarus, completed as a conventional CHPP - Minsk CHPP-5)
• Odessa ATES (remained in Ukraine).
• Kharkiv ATES (remained in Ukraine)

Outside the former USSR, for various reasons, several more nuclear power plants of domestic projects were not completed:

• Belene NPP (Bulgaria
• NPP Zharnowiec (Poland) - construction stopped in 1990, most likely for economic and political reasons, including the influence of public opinion after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
• NPP Sinpo (DPRK).
• NPP Juragua (Cuba) - construction was stopped in a very high degree of readiness in 1992 due to economic difficulties after the cessation of assistance from the USSR.
• Stendal Nuclear Power Plant (GDR, later Germany) - construction was canceled in a high degree of readiness with a conversion into a pulp and paper mill due to the country's refusal to build a nuclear power plant in general.

Uranium production

Russia has proven reserves uranium ores, for 2006 estimated at 615 thousand tons of uranium.

The main uranium mining company, the Priargunsky industrial mining and chemical association, produces 93% of Russian uranium, providing 1/3 of the need for raw materials.

In 2009, the increase in uranium production was 25% compared to 2008.

Construction of reactors

Dynamics by the number of power units (pcs)

Dynamics of total power (GW)

In Russia, there is a large national program for the development of nuclear energy, including the construction of 28 nuclear reactors in the coming years. So, the commissioning of the first and second power units Novovoronezh NPP-2 was supposed to take place in 2013-2015, but the minimum was postponed to the summer of 2016.

As of March 2016, 7 nuclear power units are being built in Russia, as well as a floating nuclear power plant.

On August 1, 2016, the construction of 8 new nuclear power plants until 2030 was approved.

NPPs under construction

Baltic NPP

The Baltic NPP is being built near the city of Neman, in the Kaliningrad region. The station will consist of two VVER-1200 power units. The construction of the first block was planned to be completed in 2017, the second block - in 2019.

In mid-2013, a decision was made to freeze construction.

In April 2014, the construction of the station was suspended.

Leningrad NPP-2

Other

Construction plans are also being worked out:

• Kola NPP-2 (in the Murmansk region)
• Primorsk NPP (in Primorsky Krai)
• Seversk NPP (in the Tomsk region)

It is possible to resume construction on sites laid down back in the 1980s, but according to updated projects:

• Central NPP (in the Kostroma region)
• South Ural NPP (in the Chelyabinsk region)

International projects of Russia in the nuclear power industry

At the beginning of 2010, Russia accounted for 16% of the market for construction and operation services

On September 23, 2013, Russia handed over to Iran the operation of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

As of March 2013, Russian company Atomstroyexport is building 3 nuclear power units abroad: two units of the Kudankulam NPP in India and one unit of the Tianwan NPP in China. The completion of two units of Belene NPP in Bulgaria was canceled in 2012.

At present, Rosatom owns 40% of the world market for uranium enrichment services and 17% of the market for the supply of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants. Russia has large complex contracts in the field of nuclear energy with India, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, Iran, Turkey, Finland, South Africa and a number of Eastern European countries. Comprehensive contracts are likely in the design, construction of nuclear power units, as well as in the supply of fuel with Argentina, Belarus, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, .. STO 1.1.1.02.001.0673-2006. NBY RU AS-89 (PNAE G - 1 - 024 - 90)

In 2011, Russian nuclear power plants generated 172.7 billion kWh, which accounted for 16.6% of the total generation in the Unified Energy System of Russia. The volume of electricity supplied amounted to 161.6 billion kWh.

In 2012, Russian nuclear power plants generated 177.3 billion kWh, which accounted for 17.1% of the total generation in the Unified Energy System of Russia. The volume of electricity supplied amounted to 165.727 billion kWh.

In 2018, the generation at Russian NPPs amounted to 196.4 billion kWh, which accounted for 18.7% of the total generation in the Unified Energy System of Russia.

The share of nuclear generation in the total energy balance of Russia is about 18%. Nuclear energy is of high importance in the European part of Russia and especially in the north-west, where the output at nuclear power plants reaches 42%.

After the launch of the second power unit of the Volgodonsk NPP in 2010, Russian Prime Minister V.V. Putin announced plans to increase nuclear generation in the total energy balance of Russia from 16% to 20-30%.

The developments of the draft Energy Strategy of Russia for the period up to 2030 provide for an increase in electricity production at nuclear power plants by 4 times.

As soon as scientists managed to carry out the reaction to split the atomic nucleus, the question immediately arose about the prospects practical application this remarkable discovery. Considering political situation, emerging in the world, it is natural that the first application for the new discovery was its use to create weapons of unprecedented power - the atomic bomb. But, in parallel with the use of the nuclear fission reaction for mass murder, a number of scientists raised the question of the “peaceful atom”.

Leadership in the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes immediately seized the Soviet Union. Already in 1954, the first industrial nuclear power plant was built in Obninsk. Its power was 5 MW. However, Western countries did not remain aloof from the opportunity to join the use of such a powerful source of energy. The United Kingdom was the first to commission an industrial nuclear reactor - this happened in 1956, and the nuclear power plant was named Calder Hall. A year later, a similar power plant was built in the United States in the town of Shippingport. Its capacity was 69 MW and at that time it was the most powerful nuclear power plant.

Naturally, like any other work of human hands, the development of nuclear energy could not do without accidents. Consider the most famous of them.

The three most famous accidents at nuclear power plants

Trimal Island nuclear accident

This incident is the largest nuclear disaster in the United States to date. On March 28, 1979, more than half of the core of the second reactor melted. This led to the fact that radioactive fallout was released into the atmosphere, and the local river was contaminated with water containing radioactive elements. Due to the accident, about 200,000 people living in the danger zone were evacuated.

Accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant

As a result of a powerful earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011 in Japan, the reactor cooling system in the first unit of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant was turned off. This led to the melting of fuel and an explosion. The result was the emergence of a ten-kilometer exclusion zone around the station and a revision by the Japanese government of energy policy.

The Chernobyl accident

The largest catastrophe at the present time at a nuclear power plant happened on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. As a result of the destruction of part of the reactor core at power unit No. 4, more than 8 tons of radioactive fuel were released into the air. The area within a radius of thirty kilometers was contaminated with radiation, and total area zone, experienced the consequences of this accident, exceeded 160 thousand km2.

From the above short list of disasters, it is clear that nuclear power plants can pose a serious danger. So why not only do they continue to be used, but there is a constant increase in the number of countries wishing to build a nuclear power plant on their territory? There are several reasons for this.

The main advantages of nuclear energy

Nuclear power plants are environmentally friendly. They do not emit harmful substances into the atmosphere (unless, of course, they work in normal mode) as thermal power plants and do not burn oxygen. For their construction, there is no need to flood a vast territory, which is necessary condition during the construction of the hydroelectric power station. True, there are two problems: nuclear power plants are characterized by a high level of thermal pollution and the disposal of spent fuel is necessary. And if the first problem can be solved by using the received heat in the economy, then the processing of spent fuel for reactors is still a difficult task.

The cost of nuclear energy is relatively low and is not subject to price fluctuations. If hydrocarbon prices are constantly changing, then the price of fuel for nuclear power plants is more stable.

Fuel for nuclear power plants has a very small volume, especially compared to coal-fired power plants, which makes it possible to build nuclear power plants without looking back at the availability of raw materials. More importantly, the explored reserves of uranium ores are still very far from full development, in contrast to, for example, oil and gas reserves.

The most powerful nuclear power plants in the world

There are almost 200 nuclear power plants operating in the world today. Their geography is quite extensive - there are nuclear power plants in 31 countries. Consider the largest nuclear power plants in more detail. Here are the top five nuclear power plants with the largest installed capacity.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa (Japan)

This power plant has seven boiling water reactors (of which two are improved). Its capacity is 7965 MW. After the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, it was decommissioned, but in 2012 it was put back into operation.

Zaporozhye (Ukraine)

This power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Its six reactors can generate 6,000 MW of power.

Hanul (South Korea)

It is one of a couple of the largest nuclear power plants in South Korea. It has six operating and two reactors under construction. The power of the reactors put into operation is 5881 megawatts.

Hanbit (South Korea)

The capacity of the six pressurized water reactors of the Hanbit power plant is 5875 MW. Until 2013, this station was called Yongwan, but due to the requests of local fishermen, it received a new name, since many buyers associated the caught fish with nuclear power.

Nord (France)

This power plant is located in the canton of Gravelines. It is the most powerful nuclear power plant in France, and its capacity is 5460 MW.

But what about Russia? What is the place of nuclear energy in the country that is its homeland? Currently, Russia operates 10 nuclear power plants, producing 18% of all electricity generated in the country. Specific gravity of nuclear energy in the overall energy balance is not very large, which is quite understandable, given the rich hydrocarbon reserves and the country's huge hydro potential.

It is quite difficult to determine the most powerful nuclear power plant in Russia - four nuclear power plants have four reactors at once, each of which has a capacity of 1000 megawatts. These are Balakovo, Leningrad, Kursk and Kalinin NPPs. Therefore, to determine the largest nuclear power plant in Russian Federation it is necessary to resort to an additional indicator - the generated electricity per year. According to this indicator, the title of "the largest nuclear power plant in Russia" belongs to Balakovo NPP– it generates more than 30 billion kWh per year. The same power plant also occupies an honorable tenth place in the world ranking of the most powerful nuclear power plants.

Due to ever-decreasing reserves of hydrocarbon raw materials and the high cost of alternative energy, nuclear energy has all the prerequisites to take a leading position in the issue of providing mankind with electricity. Unless, of course, a breakthrough in the field of controlled thermonuclear reactions is achieved in the near future.

Literally the entire planet could be in danger. But the world will not be able to turn away from nuclear energy soon. The cost of its production is less, there are no harmful emissions, the delivery of fuel to the station costs a penny - all the advantages are obvious. It remains to deal with safety in the design and construction - and the "peaceful atom" will have no enemies! So, what are the most powerful nuclear power plants and where are they located?

1 NPP Kashiwazaki-Kariva (Japan) - 8212 MW

In 2010, the Japanese nuclear power plant reached its installed capacity of 8212 MW. This is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world. And even after the earthquake in 2007, when emergency situations arose at the station, after all restoration work(power had to be reduced), this energy giant remained in first place in the world (today it is 7965 MW). After the incident at Fukushima, the station was stopped to check all systems and then restarted.

2 NPP Bruce (Canada) - 6232 MW

The largest nuclear power plant in Canada itself and the entire North American continent is the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant. It was built in 1987 on the shores of the picturesque Lake Huron (Ontario). The area of ​​the station is huge and occupies more than 932 hectares of land. Its 8 nuclear reactors give a total capacity of 6232 MW and put Canada in second place on our list. It should be noted that until the early 2000s, the Ukrainian Zaporozhye NPP was considered the second in the world. But Canadians bypassed Ukraine, having managed to "disperse" their reactors to such high rates.

3 Zaporozhye NPP (Ukraine) - 6000 MW

The third in the world and the first in Europe in terms of capacity is Zaporozhye NPP. IN full force the station started operating in 1993, becoming the most powerful in all former USSR. The total capacity of the enterprise is 6000 MW. It is located on the banks of the Kakhovka reservoir near the city of Energodar, Zaporozhye region. The nuclear power plant employs 11.5 thousand people. At one time, with the start of the construction of this station, the entire region received a powerful economic impetus, thanks to which it grew both socially and in terms of production.

4 Hanul NPPs (South Korea) - 5900 MW

This station is located near the city of Uljin in South Korea and has a capacity of 5900 MW. It is worth saying that the Koreans have another nuclear power plant identical in capacity - Khanbit, but Hanul is planned to be “overclocked” to a record 8700 MW. In the next 5 years, Korean engineers promise to finish the work, and then, perhaps, there will be a new champion on our list. We'll see.

5 NPP Gravelines (France) - 5460 MW

The most powerful station in France is Gravelines. Its total power reaches 5460 MW. The nuclear power plant was built on the coast of the North Sea, the waters of which are involved in the cooling process of all 6 of its reactors. France, like no other country in Europe, develops its own technologies and developments in the nuclear field and has on its territory the largest and most powerful nuclear power plants, and these are more than 50 nuclear reactors.

6 NPP Paluel (France) - 5320 MW

The total capacity of this "Frenchwoman" is 5320 MW. It is also located on the coast, but has one interesting feature: in the immediate vicinity of the nuclear power plant is the commune "Paluel" (in honor of which, in fact, the station is named), and so, almost all of the 1200 employees of the station are residents of this very commune. A truly "Soviet" approach to the problem of employment!

7 Ohi NPP (Japan) - 4494 MW

And Japan again. Four nuclear reactors of this station give out 4494 MW. The station is considered one (if not the most) reliable and does not have a single emergency or safety-related incident in its “track record”. This issue in Japan is more than relevant after the events at Fukushima. We will only say that after the shutdown of all Japanese nuclear power plants for verification technical condition after the earthquake, it was the Ohi station that was the first to return to work.

8 Palo Verde nuclear power plants (USA) - 4174 MW

The most powerful nuclear power plant in the United States is only in eighth position on our list. Three reactors of this station give out power of 4174 MW. Today it is not the highest figure, but this nuclear power plant is unique in its own way. The fact is that Wintersburg is the only nuclear power plant in the world that is not located on the shore of a large body of water. The technical "highlight" of this nuclear power plant is that for cooling the reactors are used wastewater nearest settlements(the city of Palo Verde, for example). One has only to wonder at the determination of American engineers who, contrary to safety traditions, decided to take such a bold step in the design of this nuclear power plant.

9 Balakovo NPP (Russia) - 4000 MW

The most powerful nuclear power plant in Russia was commissioned in 1985. At present, its total capacity is 4,000 MW. The nuclear power plant is located on the banks of the Saratov reservoir and provides a fifth of the energy generation of all nuclear power plants in Russia. The staff of the station is 3770 people. Balakovo NPP is the "pioneer" of all nuclear fuel research in Russia. In general, it can be said that all latest developments put into operation at this NPP. And only after passing practical tests here, after they received permission for use at other nuclear power plants in Russia and other countries.

10 Hamaoka NPP (Japan) - 3617 MW

The last station on our list is located on the island of Honshu in Japan. The capacity of this nuclear power plant is 3617 MW. To date, 3 out of 5 reactors are in operation. The remaining 2 have been shut down due to technical work to improve safety and protection against natural disasters. And again, after Fukushima, the Japanese demonstrate high professionalism and organization, in relation not only to themselves, but to the whole world.

The bulk of the power units of Russian nuclear power plants were laid down and built back in the days of the USSR. However, several Russian reactors were built in the post-Soviet period, and even several new nuclear power plants were laid down or are under construction precisely in the period from the nineties of the last century, after the collapse Soviet Union. We will provide you with a list of all Russian NPPs on the map of the country.

List of all NPPs in Russia for 2017

No. 1. Obninsk NPP

Obninsk nuclear power plant - the first nuclear power plant in the world, was launched on June 27, 1954. The Obninsk nuclear power plant was located, as can be seen on the map of the Russian nuclear power plant in the Kaluga region, not far from the Moscow region, so it is she who is remembered first of all when talking about. The only 5 MW reactor operated at the Obninsk NPP. And on April 29, 2002, the station was stopped.

No. 2. Balakovo NPP

The Balakovo nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Russia, located in the Saratov region. The capacity of the Balakovo NPP, launched in 1985, is 4,000 MW, which allows it to enter.

No. 3. Bilibino NPP

Bilibino nuclear power plant is the northernmost nuclear power plant on the map of Russia and the whole world. Bilibino NPP has been operating since 1974. Four reactors with a total capacity of 48 MW provide electricity and heat to the closed system of the city of Bilibino and nearby areas in northern Russia, including local gold mines.

No. 4. Leningrad NPP

The Leningrad nuclear power plant is located near St. Petersburg. Distinctive feature LNPP, which has been operating since 1973, is that reactors of the type RBMK- similar to reactors on.

No. 5. Kursk NPP

The Kursk nuclear power plant also bears the unofficial name of the Kurchatov NPP, since the city of nuclear scientists Kurchatov is located nearby. The station, launched in 1976, also has RBMK-type reactors.

No. 6. Novovoronezh NPP

Novovoronezh nuclear power plant is located in the Voronezh region of Russia. Novovoronezh NPP is one of the oldest in Russia, it has been operating since 1964 and is already in the stage of gradual decommissioning.

No. 7. Rostov NPP

The Rostov Nuclear Power Plant (previously named after the Volgodonsk Nuclear Power Plant) is one of the newest in Russia. The station's first reactor was launched in 2001. Since then, the plant has launched three reactors and a fourth is under construction.

No. 8. Smolensk NPP

The Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant has been operating since 1982. The station has "Chernobyl reactors" - RBMK.

No. 9. Kalinin NPP

The Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant is located near the city of Udomlya, 260 kilometers from Moscow and 320 kilometers from St. Petersburg.

No. 10. Kola NPP

The Kola nuclear power plant is another northern nuclear power plant in Russia, located, as can be seen on the map of Russian nuclear power plants, in the Murmansk region. The station featured in Dmitry Glukhovsky's novels Metro-2033 and Metro-2034.

No. 11. Beloyarsk NPP

Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, located in Sverdlovsk region, the only nuclear power plant in Russia with fast neutron reactors.

No. 12. Novovoronezh NPP 2

Novovoronezh NPP 2 is a nuclear power plant under construction to replace the decommissioned capacities of the first Novovoronezh NPP. The station's first reactor was launched in December 2016.

No. 13. Leningrad NPP 2

LNPP 2 is a nuclear power plant under construction to replace the decommissioned first Leningrad NPP.

No. 14. Baltic NPP

The Baltic nuclear power plant is located on the map of Russia in the Kaliningrad region. The station was founded in 2010 and was planned to be launched in 2016. But the construction process was frozen indefinitely.

And the dramatic events at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant caused serious damage to the development of nuclear energy throughout the world. Through the efforts of the media, a strong belief has been created about the imminent danger of any power plant with a nuclear power plant.

But, according to many scientists, there is no worthy alternative to meet the demand for electricity, and, for example, Balakovo - the largest nuclear power plant in Russia - is no more a threat than any other industrial facility of this scale.

The principle of operation of nuclear power plants

All major power plants operating on nuclear fuel, have a similar principle of operation. For the production of electricity, heat is used, which is generated during a controlled chain reaction of fission of nuclear fuel - basically This process is carried out in a nuclear reactor - the "heart" of a nuclear power plant.

Further, the preparation of hot steam, which sets in motion the turbines of electric generators, takes place. Depending on the design, these can be rotors used in power plants of all types or built taking into account the specifics of plants operating on nuclear fuel.

Reactor types

There are several types of reactors that differ in fuel, coolant passing through core, and the moderator needed to control the chain reaction.

The most economical and productive reactors have proved to be those where ordinary, “light” water is used as a process fluid. By design, they are of two main types:

• RBMK - high power channel reactor. In it, the steam that rotates the turbines is prepared directly in the core, so such an object is called boiling. This was the reactor of the fourth power unit in Chernobyl, an installation of this type is used, for example, by the Kursk station - the largest nuclear power plant in Russia.
• VVER - pressurized water power reactor. This is a system of two sealed circuits: in the first - radioactive - water circulates directly through the reactor core, absorbing heat from the nuclear fission chain reaction, in the second - steam is generated, which is supplied to the turbines of electric generators. Such reactors are used in the most powerful Zaporizhzhya NPP in Europe, they operate another largest NPP in Russia - Balakovo.

The second type of reactor is gas-cooled, where graphite is used to control processes (the EGP-6 reactor at the Bilibino NPP). The third - on fuel in the form of natural uranium and with "heavy water" - deuterium oxide - in the form of a coolant and moderator. The fourth - RN - fast neutron reactor.

The first nuclear power plants

First use experiment nuclear reactor for the production of electricity was carried out in the USA, at the Idaho National Laboratory, in 1951. The reactor operated at a power sufficient to light four 200-watt electric lamps. After some time, the installation began to provide electricity to the entire building where scientific research was carried out at a nuclear reactor. It was connected to the power grid after 4 years, and the city of Arko, adjacent to the laboratory, became the first in the world to be provided with electricity using a nuclear plant.

But the world's first industrial nuclear power plant is a nuclear power plant, launched in the summer of 1954 in the Kaluga region of the USSR and immediately connected to the network. This is where Russia's nuclear power industry originated. The capacity of the Obninsk nuclear power plant was small - only 5 MW. After 3 years in the Tomsk region, in the city of Seversk, the first stage of the Siberian NPP was put into operation, which subsequently produced 600 MW. The reactor installed there was intended for the production of weapons-grade plutonium, and the electrical and thermal energy were a by-product. Today, the reactors at these stations are shut down.

Nuclear power plant on the territory of the former USSR

Since the late 1950s and early 1960s, the USSR began intensive construction of such power plants in different regions of the country. The list of nuclear power plants in Russia and the union republics includes 17 such facilities, 7 of which remained outside the current Russian Federation:

• Armenian, near the city of Metsamor. It has two power units with a total capacity of 440 MW. After the Spitak earthquake in 1988, which the nuclear power plant withstood without serious accidents due to the seismic stability incorporated in the design, it was decided to stop it. However, in the future, due to the high demand for electricity, the government of the republic decided to launch the second power unit in 1995. Despite the fact that this happened taking into account the increased requirements for technological and environmental safety, the European Union insists on its conservation.
• in the north-east of Lithuania operated from 1983 to 2009 and was closed at the request of the European Union.
• Zaporozhye, the most powerful nuclear power plant in Europe, is located on the banks of the Kakhovka reservoir, in the city of Enerhodar, built in 1978. It includes 6 power units VVER-1000, producing a fifth of Ukraine's electricity - about 40 billion kWh per year. It fully complies with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
• Rivne, near the city of Kuznetsovsk in the Rivne region of Ukraine. It has 4 power units of the VVER type with a total capacity of 2835 MW. Received a high rating from the IAEA based on the results of the safety review.
• Khmelnytsky, near the town of Neteshina, near the river Gorini in Ukraine. Involved 2 VVER-1000.
• South-Ukrainian, located on the banks of the Southern Bug in the Nikolaev region of Ukraine. 3 VVER-1000 power units provide 96% of the electricity needs of the south of Ukraine.
• Chernobyl, near the city of Pripyat, became the site of the largest man-made disaster of the year. The last of the four RBMK-1000 power units was shut down in 2000.

The share of electricity generated at nuclear power plants in the total energy balance of the largest nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants in Russia is about 18%. This is much less than, for example, the leader in the nuclear energy industry - France, where this figure is 75%. According to the energy strategy adopted by the government, by 2030 it is planned to bring this ratio up to 20-30% and increase the production of electricity using power units running on nuclear fuel by 4 times.

Nuclear power in Russia

How many nuclear power plants are in Russia today? There are 10 stations operating in our country, which include 35 power units various types(there are about 100 such installations in the USA). The most widely used in our country are pressurized water reactors (VVER) - a total of 18 pieces. Of these, with a capacity of 1000 MW - 12, another 6 - 440 MW. There are also 15 boiling channel reactors in operation: 11 RBMK-1000 and 4 - EGP-6.

Which nuclear power plant is the largest in Russia

At the moment, there is no clear leader among nuclear power plants in the Rosenergoatom system in terms of capacity and contribution to the overall balance of the country. There are 2 complexes where the same number (4) of the same type VVER-1000 reactors are used. These are Balakovo and Kalinin nuclear power plants. Each of them has a total capacity of 4000 MW. The same capacity is included in the Kursk and Leningrad power plants, where 4 power units of the RBMK-1000 type are used. At the same time, the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world - the Japanese Kashiwazaki-Kariva - has 7 power units with a total capacity of 8212 MW.

The concentration of energy enterprises of this type in the country has led to the fact that they play a crucial role in providing electricity to the central regions of the country. In the center of Russia, and especially in the northwest, the share of nuclear power plants in the energy balance reaches 40%.

6 other Russian nuclear power plants

The Kola Station, Russia's largest nuclear power plant in the northern territories, which operates two thousand-megawatt power units, makes its contribution to the Russian energy sector. The introduction of new capacities at the Novovoronezh NPP continues, where new, improved VVER-1200 power units are being used. Beloyarsk NPP in the Sverdlovsk region can be considered an experimental site for Russian nuclear scientists. It uses several types of power units, including fast neutron reactors. The Bilibino station is located in Chukotka, supplying this region with the necessary heat.

The question of which nuclear power plant is the largest in Russia may again become relevant when new power units are commissioned at the Rostov station, of which there are three so far, and their capacity is 3100 MW. Smolenskaya, which operates on RBMK reactors, has the same capacity.

prospects

The industry development program takes into account how many nuclear power plants in Russia need to be built, how many power units need to be reconstructed and put into operation in order to improve energy supply. This is especially true for the regions of the North, Siberia and Far East. Most of the oil and gas producing enterprises, which still form the basis of the Russian economy, are located there.

One of the most promising areas that the Russian nuclear power industry has is the creation of floating nuclear thermal power plants. These are transportable power units of low power (up to 70 MW) based on fast neutron reactors of the KLT-40 type. Such mobile structures can provide the most inaccessible areas with electricity, industrial and domestic heat, and even fresh water. Commissioning of the first FNPP "Mikhail Lomonosov" is planned in the coming years.