Fuel loading completed at Rostov 3

Russia yesterday completed fuel loading at unit 3 of the Rostov nuclear power plant. The loading of 163 fuel assemblies into the VVER-1000 pressurised water reactor followed regulatory approval last week to bring the unit to first criticality.

Rosenergoatom, the Rosatom subsidiary that operates all of Russia's civil nuclear power plants, said in a statement that construction and commissioning of the unit is ahead of schedule. Rosenergoatom said earlier this year it was scheduled to enter commercial operation by the end of 2014.

"Experts are now checking the loaded fuel assemblies," said Victor Tereshonok, scientific director in charge of commissioning the unit. "The reactor will then be assembled, after which we will begin hydrotesting of the primary and secondary reactor loops."

Hot testing of the unit was completed on 24 October and additional pre-start due diligence work was conducted until 31 October.

Four 1000 MWe VVER pressurized water reactors have been planned at the Rostov site (formerly known as Volgodonsk) since the early 1980s. Construction of units 1 and 2 began promptly, but progress faltered. Units 1 and 2 eventually entered commercial operation in March 2001 and October 2010, respectively.

In June 2009, NN-AEP, a subsidiary of AtomEnergoProm, won the tender as principal contractor for the construction of units 3 and 4, now slightly larger at 1100 MWe. Construction of unit 3 began again in late 2009, with its reactor building dome installed in October 2012. Unit 4 is set to be completed by 2016. In September, OMZ subsidiary Izhorskiye Zavody carried out pressure tests on the reactor pressure vessel intended for unit 4.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News